


Resonance

by Kamari333



Series: Resonances [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU Garbage, All The Ships, All the fucking DETERMINATION, Alternate Universe - Aftertale, Alternate Universe - Dancetale, Alternate Universe - Horrortale, Alternate Universe - Storyshift, Alternate Universe - Swapfell, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underlust, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Ambassador Papyrus, Angst, Condiment Addiction, Dancetale Sans, Dancing, Deja Vu, Determination (Undertale), Determination for days, Did I forget to mention all the ships?, Drinking, Drinking Games, Drug Use, Ectobiology, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Goopdad, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Interdimensional Love, Japes, Jokes, Like In Anime, Love, M/M, Magitech, Medical Procedures, Memes, Other, Papyrus in a suit, Recreational Drug Use, Resets, Riverperson drives a Bus, SOUL Mechanics (Undertale), Sex, Slow Burn, Smoking, Smut, Soul-Crushing, Spoilers, Swapfell Papyrus - Freeform, Tears, The Significance of Collars in Fell-verse culture, Torture, Tragedy, Underfell Sans, Underlust Sans - Freeform, Underswap Papyrus, We take care of Family, Yandere Papyrus, all the ships must sail, altertale, garbage, gratuitous cuddling, how did rust take over my angsty adventure story jfc halp, i wish i could reorder my tags because i'm backlogging them at this point, nerds, oh look a distraction, puns, ruined by not-so-tender family moments, sugar addiction, tender family moments, underfell monsters say fuck a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2018-10-28 09:18:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 55
Words: 241,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamari333/pseuds/Kamari333
Summary: Undertale AU Garbage. LOVE, love, smut, angst, edginess, and self reflection. A story about teamwork and friendship, with lots of puns, ships, and feels. Full of head-canons what might deviate from the original story and/or AU ideas.Worlds collide when shortcuts resonate. Will they be able to find their way home?





	1. Convergence

**Author's Note:**

> Please bear with me -- a less confusing naming convention will be organically established as quickly as possible.
> 
> Undertale (C) Toby Fox
> 
> AU ORIGINS SHOUTOUT:  
> \- Underfell by ???  
> \- Underswap by popcornpr1nce (i think?)  
> \- Swapfell by ??? (originally by KKhoppang, but I'm not using those designs or personas here by a wide~ margin, its a different 'swapfell' and I dunno who to credit these designs or personas to.)  
> \- Underlust by Neil (nsfwshamecave.tumblr.com)  
> \- Dancetale by teandstars (dancetale.tumblr.com)
> 
> This shout out is incomplete (and may be inaccurate). If you have information regarding the origin of an AU listed here, please leave a comment. Links are nice. I want to give credit where credit is due (even if I deviate from the original idea).
> 
> Also please understand that, for the most part, I did very limited research so the accuracy of these AU representations is questionable at best. Its more accurate to say these will be my take on the concepts that these AUs represent, influenced heavily by fanon. Furthermore, since I am awful, these are probably not even a fraction as great as the original ideas themselves, so I heavily recommend you guys all go find the source material and fan-geek out over how great they are instead of reading my garbage.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a loud crack, and half a dozen skeleton monsters end up very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is plenty of viewpoint shifting in this chapter (like a lot) because i liked the way it incorporated the many characters. I used descriptive language to empasize who exactly was at the forefront where, and each viewpoint change is separated by a break, so if you have trouble telling one from another, i'm sorry.
> 
> on the bright side, this is honestly the worst chapter in this regard, so if you can get through this the rest should be easy.
> 
> EDIT: did a revamp of some of this chapter because hot damn did it need one. Will probably come back to finish later.

> "Chara"  
> ---  
> LV 19  
> HP 0 / 92  
> AT 36 (99) | EXP: 50000  
> DF 4 (99) | NEXT: 49999  
> WEAPON: Real Knife  
> ARMOR: The Locket  
> GOLD: 2500 | KILLED: 105  
  
Sans stared down at the tiny, dusty child at his feet. The pervasive silence was deafening. After standing there, gasping under the strangulation of adrenaline he suddenly no longer needed, shoulders slumped under the weight of what he had done, _again,_ he kicked the knife still clutched in the human's hand across the hall, listening to the metal clatter on the tile until it hit the pillar on his left. He watched, sickeningly fascinated, as the last few twitches of determination and life were expressed in those powdered fingers, before the red light faded from their eyes, and the human went still. Sans wiped the sweat that inexplicably dripped over his scalp and down towards his right eye. _It was over... for now..._

Sinking down to the floor, not caring about the blood pooling around him, Sans waited. He waited for the world to stutter, to rewind, to see that distant glint of distant gold as time was ripped and pasted back into place. He waited.

And waited.

_And waited._

_That's strange, it usually didn't take this long._ In fact, it never had before.

Clutching his chest, feeling the LOVE pounding in his soul, Sans let out a soft chuckle. "Well, kid, if you're gonna make me wait, I'mma go to Grillby's." He snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. He didn't care. _He was done caring_.

* * *

Papyrus sighed with a soft skeletal smile on his face, closing the colorful children's book in his hands gently as he looked down at his brother. Sans was fast asleep, nuzzled into his pillow and drooling. Papyrus stood up as smoothly and quietly as he could from the side of the bed, leaning down to tenderly press his skull to Sans' in an act of familial affection he was compelled to express. The sleepy, contented huff he got in response warmed his heart. Papyrus smiled as he pulled himself away, putting the book in its proper place on the shelf across the room, then casually turned the lights out with a flick of his wrist, the soft orange glow of his magic glittering around the bones of his fingers. He looked behind him at the little skeleton one last time from the doorway before closing it with a soft click.

Sighing again, his hands sliding into the pocket of his bright orange hoodie, Papyrus accepted the fact that he'd never get any sleep himself. He had already had one nightmare today (during one of his midday naps) and wasn't in any hurry to repeat it.

Checking the clock, he shrugged. "Muffet's it is," he said to himself. Not wanting to walk, he snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. He didn't think anything of it. Nobody could hear it but him, so it wouldn't wake Sans. That's all that mattered.

* * *

Sans opened his eye sockets, lifting his head out from the cushion of his leather-clad arms. The darkness which greeted him was initially perplexing, making him reflexively press harder into the study surface of his sentry station. He listened, shifting each of his limbs experimentally, flexing the sleek claws of each hand as he blinked away the fog of sleep. The wind whistled through the surrounding trees, buffeting him with the faded, distant, but ever present smell of Dust and frozen water. He realized that night had indeed fallen.

"Shit... Boss is gonna kill me..!" he muttered to himself as he stood, cracking his spine with a practiced twist of his upper body. The frigid winter wind clawed at his face, breaking on the outside of his leather jacket and the plush barrier of his thick red sweater. Rolling his shoulders, he thought about going straight home. "Ain't drunk enough fer that..." He decided. _Grillby's at least had mustard._ After straightening his rumpled clothing, and adjusting the soft leather collar around his neck, his left eye flickering with crimson light, he snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. He didn't give a damn.

* * *

Sans fell back on the couch, sighing in exasperation. The soft, blue faux fur lining of his vest shifted delicately around him, tickling the delicate joints of his cervical vertebrae. He let his head loll back, his eye lids drifting closed as he let himself, _made_ himself relax. The emptiness of the house wouldn't allow it, keeping Sans' senses on alert, straining to hear the noises that he knew would not resound, the noises that told him his brother was home. Ever since Papyrus started dating Mettaton, he'd been coming home later and later. At first, Sans was grateful, because it meant his brother was enjoying himself. However, it had gotten to the point that he hardly saw his brother at all. Just as he was thinking about it, Sans' phone buzzed. He looked. It was a new Text Message from Papyrus. Opening it, he read out loud: "Staying overnight with Mettaton. Sorry. There is leftover pasta in the fridge." Sans closed his phone, torn between annoyance and amusement. At least Papyrus never failed to check in. Sans was grateful for that at least. It made it easier to stop worrying.

Standing up, Sans fixed his fingerless glove and took a deep breath, his hands coming to rest in the pockets of his sleeveless purple vest. "Well, I guess I should find my own Good Time." Maybe he'd get lucky with Grillby tonight. He felt himself getting hot just thinking about it. Not wanting to wait even one more moment, he snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. He wondered if maybe it was the music.

* * *

Papyrus took another drag, letting the smoke flit lazily into the crisp night air through his nasal cavity. The icy winter wind bit at his exposed phalanges, but couldn't quite reach his face thanks to the fur lined hood of his leather jacket. Flicking the now useless cigarette bud into the snow, he looked over at his brother. Sans was adjusting a trap that some teenager had set off a few hours ago. There were feathers and blood stuck on most of the pieces. Papyrus could hear Sans complaining about 'rust' ruining the sharpness of the blades. From the looks of it, he would be cleaning and polishing it for some time. _So much for dinner._

Sans sat back, frustration manifesting in an audible growl. But another growl, equal in volume but with a greater urgency, could be heard. Papyrus smirked. Sans looked up sharply, as if he knew Papyrus had heard, his face discolored from more than just the cold. "IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE HELPFUL HERE, GO MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND FETCH ME SOMETHING TO EAT!" he yelled, shaking his fist.

Papyrus's smile widened. "Yes, M'Lord." He figured the best thing to do was stop in at Muffet's for something quick and easy. Not wanting to keep Sans waiting, Papyrus snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. He thought maybe the trap had gone off again. Sans wouldn't be in a good mood tonight. _Best to hurry._

* * *

Sans sat up sharply, breathing hard. He was covered in a cold sweat, the baggy pants and sleeveless undershirt he had fallen asleep in damp and sticky. He should be used to the nightmares, having had enough of them. He hugged himself, willing his uncooperative bones to cease their clacking, pushing down his desire to lash out, commanding his volatile, dissonant SOUL to be calm. This was one of the really bad nightmares... _So much dust_...

Getting out of bed, Sans pulled on his deep blue hoodie and matching sneakers. No way in hell was he going back to sleep after that. Taking a few more deep breaths to _compose_ himself (heh), he did a few stretches with his legs, distracting his thoughts with ideas of how to pass the time. He settled on Grillby's. It always had good music and good food. And he wouldn't wake up Papyrus if he was there.

Letting out one final breath, he snapped his fingers and felt the world shift around him. The crack in his ears was louder than usual. Sans couldn't help feeling like his life had just played a wrong note...

* * *

* * *

Papyrus felt the world stop shifting. Stuffing his hand back into his orange hoodie pockets, he shifted his jaw, brows furrowing at the taste in the air, thick and gritty and _wrong_. But the air wasn't the only thing that was off. The building in front of him was not how it was supposed to be, the sign no longer saying "Muffet's," but "Grillby's". Papyrus thought maybe he had accidentally gone to Hotland, but the chill against the back of his skull argued otherwise.

As he stood there, taking in all the discrepancies, someone in a blue hoodie passed him from the right and headed inside. Scratching his head, he looked around. And froze.

* * *

Sans felt the world stop shifting, reveling in the cold against his perpetually warm bones. For a brief moment, he just let himself enjoy the winter wind, letting it buffer his exposed spine and lower ribs. There was a thickness to the air, a lack of freshness, making him cough unexpectedly, his body spasming. Wiping the rims of his eye sockets, he quickly became aware that something was terribly wrong. There was no music, no chatter, no intangible sense of other people. It was a Friday night at Grillby's, and he couldn't hear anything coming from inside.

As Sans stepped out from the side of the building, he saw someone in a blue hoodie enter the bar. Sans was about to follow, when he saw Papyrus. He was wearing a lame orange hoodie, not at all like his usual cloths. The least sexy thing he's ever seen his brother wear, in fact.

"Papyrus?" Sans asked incredulously, approaching. He hooked his thumbs into the small pockets of his purple vest suppressing laughter. "Paps, what the hell are you wearing? You're _never_ going to impress anyone in that!" Sans stopped. "Wait, where's Mettaton? You said you were staying over..." Sans stopped. There was a strange look on his brother's face. "Why are you looking at me like that..?"

* * *

Papyrus gaped at Sans, or at least, at what LOOKED like Sans. He'd never seen anyone wearing cloths that- that REVEALING! He hardly registered what Sans was saying at first.

Rubbing his head, Papyrus groaned. "I must be more tired than I thought... I'm seeing things.."

The 'Sans' came closer. "You alright, Pap? You didn't take any drinks from strangers again, did you?"

Papyrus looked down at him. "Why aren't you in bed?" He found himself asking.

Sans chuckled. "The night is still young! I'll be going to bed with someone soon enough!"

Papyrus felt his eyelights go out and his cheeks change color. _Since when did little Sans talk like that?!_

Sans turned around with a grace (and, was that sensuality?) he'd never seen him exhibit before. "If you'll excuse me, I need to tell Grillby to turn up the music." 

At first, Papyrus could do nothing but stare. Then he took a deep breath and headed inside Muffet's? Grillby's? The establishment. He needed a drink and he needed it badly.

* * *

Sans felt the world stop shifting. Rolling his neck, he felt the satisfying crack, and grinned in a way he knew showed off his sharp teeth. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and trudged out of the bushes. Looking around, he noticed there weren't too many people out tonight: some strangers in tacky, brightly colored hoodies that screamed 'FREE EXP', and a skeleton who was showing off way to much bone.

Sans didn't have the energy or inclination to go hunting idiots at the moment, so he waited patiently for them to move on in before heading inside himself.

* * *

Papyrus felt the world stop shifting, brushing some snow off his leather-clad shoulder. He was about to step out from behind the trees when he felt a sense of wrongness. He couldn't place it, but something was off. So he hid, looking around.

First thing he noticed was Muffet's sign was dramatically changed. It now said "Grillby's". The only Grillby that Papyrus knew of worked in Hotland. This troubled him. Next he noticed the guy in the orange hoodie. That was certainly an unusual choice to wear in the middle of the night. If he was confident enough to wear that in public, he was probably not someone Papyrus wanted to mess with.

Soon Orange Hoodie started arguing with a scantily clad skeleton that Papyrus was instantly drawn to. It almost looked like his brother, but he knew it wasn't. That skeleton didn't have any scars, and the way that he moved was all wrong, lacking the decisiveness that made his brother so cool. However, the resemblance was unmistakable (and troubling).

After the two skeletons went inside, Papyrus saw movement to his left. Someone who looked jarringly like his brother (even more so than the skeleton from before!) came out of the trees and headed inside. Papyrus waited until he disappeared into the restaurant before coming out himself. Something was terribly wrong.

* * *

Sans felt the world stop shifting. Pulling the hood his deep blue hoodie up over his skull, shielding himself from the cold, he headed into Grillby's. The silence was thick enough to choke him. He looked up and saw how empty, how desolate, the bar had become. At first, the shock made it hard to move. Then his hands fell from his hoodie pockets and he reached out tentatively, as if he could grab an invisible sheet off the world and rip it away to reveal the liveliness the building was now missing. This had to be a nightmare. He just had to wake up. He just had to _wake up and everything would be back to normal and he wasn't smelling Dust he wasn't-_

The sickening silence was broken by the sound of footsteps coming in behind him. Sans turned around sharply to see what looked like a mirror. A slutty mirror, but a mirror.

The 'other Sans' froze. His eyes went wide, and Sans could see the same shock and confusion in his features. The way his shoulder's suddenly fell, the way the brightness of his eyes lost all color and light, the way his chest trembled. Sans saw his feelings mirrored perfectly in this 'other Sans', if to a lesser degree.

Then Papyrus came inside. That surprised Sans. He was certain he had been asleep! Papyrus stopped dead in the doorway too. Then he scratched his head. "Closed for Renovations... maybe..?" It sounded like he was trying to explain it to himself.

After another moment of the three of them standing there in stunned silence, a gruffer voice barked from behind Papyrus. "Get outa th' way, ya piece o' shit!" The Papyrus was pushed out and to the side. Behind him, he saw a forth skeleton barged his way inside. He too stopped. But then he smiled a toothy smile, a golden implant gleaming in the light. "Lucky me!" He made his way to the bar, ignoring the others, and sat down in Sans' usual spot. He then rummaged behind the bar until he found a bottle of Mustard, and started to drink it.

"Disgusting..." Came a low drawl from the doorway. Sans turned back around and saw another tall skeleton, who also looked too much like Papyrus. This second Papyrus lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "Well isn't this new..."

Sans couldn't take anymore. He sat in the nearest booth. This was like a follow up on his nightmare but with _way_ too much weird. Sliding his hands under his blue hood, clawing desperately to the back of his skull, he closed his eyes and focused on his unnecessary breathing.

The 'other Sans' walked over to the table on the other end of the room, running the head of his distal phalanges over the wood. "This is all kinds of wrong..." He said softly to himself. Sans couldn't agree more.

The first 'Papyrus' waved his hand suddenly. "Did anyone else hear that..?"

The second 'Papyrus' tilted his skull back, listening.

The 'Sans' at the counter pulled himself away from his mustard, curious and now a bit on edge.

Sans himself stopped to listen.

And they did hear it. The faintest sound, one that would have never been heard had things been normal.

Someone was crying.

The first Papyrus made his way to the backdoor, listening. He then slowly pried the door open. The 'other Sans' came up behind him, curious now that he heard it too. The second Papyrus stayed in the front of the shop, but Sans could see he was keeping his eyes on the back door, trying to inspect without looking all that interested. The other skeleton bit down on the end of his mustard bottle, also watching. Sans got up and peaked around the Papyrus at the door.

Inside Grillby's back room, crumpled in a heap on the floor, was a final skeleton. His blue jacket and black pants were stained red. He was also covered in a fine grey powder. In his left hand was a half empty ketchup bottle, and clutched in his right was a long strip of red cloth. Laying face down on the floor, the skeleton shook with silent racking sobs.

"Fuck... 'M so sorry... I'm sorry... Pap-" The skeleton was cut off by a sharp intake of breath, that might have been a hiccup in something with flesh. Clutching the red cloth tighter in his hand, his body shook harder, making a soft clacking noise like ceramic being smashed together.

Sans had to look away, rubbing his arms. It was too surreal. It looked like he was watching his worst nightmares from the outside.

The 'other Sans' gripped his own humerus, squeezing a little as if to sooth himself. He couldn't take his eyes off the sobbing mass.

The Papyrus finally took a step forward. The noise was enough to make the skeleton look up. Tears dripping from his blank, lightless eye sockets, the skeleton froze. Even his shaking stopped. Then he was on his feet, and he threw himself into the 'Papyrus' with enough force to knock him to the ground. Clinging to him, the skeleton (which Sans could see looked exactly like him!) sobbed even louder than before. "PAPYRUS! Papyrus! Papyrus..! I'm so sorry..! I'm so, so sorry! Papyrus! Fuck, Papyrus!!!"

* * *

Papyrus didn't even have the presence of mind to dodge. Seeing what looked like his brother in such a state of utter despair was enough to shut him down on a fundamental level. When 'Sans' started screaming his name, drenching him in tears, Papyrus couldn't think to do anything but hold him, protectively. He stroked his head, brushing that unnerving powder from his cloths as best he could. It seemed to help, because in moments the Sans in his arms had fallen into an exhausted sleep.

The lewd looking 'Sans' that had startled Papyrus earlier carefully stepped around him and approached the area the sobbing 'Sans' had vacated. Kneeling down, he carefully prodded the red puddle. "Blood..." he said more to himself than anyone else. "A bit more than a little fun would explain away..."

"Ya better clean that shit up real quick like," came the gruff voice of the mustard drinker. "If Grillbz comes back an' finds out ya Dusted his kitchen, he's gonna Dust YOU!" He seemed to find that humorous, since he started snickering into his half gone bottle.

Papyrus looked up at the skeleton that now stood in the doorway. "'Dust'?"

He looked down at Papyrus like he was crazy. "What rock 've YOU been hidin' under?"

"You say it like its capitalized..." The blue hoodie interjected.

"That's 'cause it is..." Came the drawl from the back.

"Then what does it mean?" Asked 'Sans' as he wiped the blood off his phalanges with a napkin.

The mustard drinker snickered. Drawing the distal phalanx of his thumb across the area where his throat would be, he grinned, his crimson left eye flickering like a flame in the night of his socket. "Ya know, EXP? C'mon, ya don't think that junk on sleepin' beauty's cloths is snow, now do ya?"

Something inside Papyrus went cold. Pieces started coming together. But the way they fit was impossible. He distantly noticed the one in the blue hoodie (whose face he still hadn't seen yet) was shaking.

'Sans' crossed his arms. "That's a mighty big accusation..."

Mustard drinker snorted. "Hardly."

"If yer just gonna argue..." came the drawl from the tall skeleton that make papyrus uneasy to look at, "Why not CHECK the little fellow? Isn't like he can protest, right?"

When the mustard drinker reached forward to make the contact, Papyrus pulled the 'Sans' in his lap closer. "Not gonna happen," he said as evenly as possible, although he felt his voice go icy. The mustard drinker immediately froze, a look of panic crossing his face briefly before aggravation settled back. He pulled his claw away, clicking his teeth in irritation.

Blue Hoodie came forward and raised his hand faster than Papyrus could react. With a soft ping, the stats of the little 'Sans' became visible for the group to see.

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 19  
> HP 1 / 1  
> AT 25 | EXP: 50000  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 49999  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: Papyrus's Scarf  
> GOLD: 500 | KILLED: 1  
  
Papyrus felt sick.

Mustard drinker dropped his condiment. "Son'ov'a..!"

The tall skeleton whistled. "Nice..."

'Sans' turned around and dry heaved into the sink, shaking, translucent strands of pale purple liquid oozing from his mouth.

The blue hoodie trembled, making loud clacking noises as he pulled his hand away.

Once again, the room was silent.

Papyrus clutched the little bundle of bone and cloth tighter to his chest. Taking deep breaths, he forced himself to remain calm.

Mustard drinker tensed. "HOW TH' FUCK DID THIS LIL BITCH GET LV 19?!" He raised his hand over his head, a red glow seeping from his left eye. "I'LL DUST TH' PUNK!" He raised his hand from his coat pocket, revealing sharp claws.

Papyrus sprang to his feet, pulling the little 'Sans' closer as he shifted his hold. "Calm down." This time whatever had made the mustard drinker pause before didn't even slow him down. He brought his claw down on the 'Sans' in Papyrus's arms with the greatest murderous intent Papyrus had ever felt.

Papyrus jumped out of the way quickly, dodging with an ease that seemed to piss off the mustard drinker. Pulled back, the mustard drinker materialized a sharp jagged bone in his hand. As he was about to throw it, the taller skeleton put a hand lightly, almost hesitantly, on his shoulder. Mustard drinker froze, that look of panic crossing his face again.

"We won't get any answers if we Dust him now..." the taller skeleton whispered, his voice flat and suggestive, as if trying to reason with a seemingly unreasonable and unstoppable force. Shaking, the mustard drinker let his claw fall, the bone vanishing as quickly as it had come. He stuffed his claw back into his jacket pocket and clicked his teeth some more, going back to his seat at the bar. The taller skeleton seemed relieved, as if he had just calmed a great storm.

'Sans' finally stopped getting sick. Pulling himself up, he ran the tap and washed his mouth out, letting the water seep between his teeth and down his jaw. Shaking his skull to send the excess water away, he turned back. "This is- this is-"

"A nightmare." The blue hoodie said flatly. "A fucking nightmare. And I can't wake up." One hand came out of his pockets to hold his face, pushing the hood back and revealing him to be still another 'Sans'. Papyrus should have expected it. But he hadn't.

Taking a long drag, the taller skeleton sighed. "So nobody else noticed the guy's name, huh?" Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Nobody else noticed his armor, either, did they?" The sarcasm in his voice was only surpassed by his exasperation. Taking another long drag, he let out a long puff of smoke. "I don't think anyone here is a fucking idiot. Put the pieces together. His name is 'Sans'. He's got 'Papyrus's Scarf'. How many other clues do you need?"

Papyrus looked away. He knew exactly what the other skeleton was getting at. The thought had crossed his mind a while ago. But it wasn't something he wanted to believe. As he looked at the others in the room, he could see they all felt, and knew, exactly what he did.

Fuck multiverse theory. Fuck it right in the ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you found that confusing... well that's because it is
> 
> a shit ton of POV shifts and a lot of people with the same name
> 
> its just plain old bad writing


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where everyone gets a nickname and it becomes significantly less confusing figuring out who is who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The naming conventions are here! As promised! Less confusion for everyone!!! XD

After letting everyone come to terms with the crushing reality of their situation, Papyrus sat down and put out his cigarette. "Since we're all stuck in the same boat, we might as well form an alliance."

Mustard drinker made a 'tch' noise, clicking his fangs together disapprovingly as he picked up his mustard bottle. "What? So y'all can Dust me in my sleep? No thanks."

"The only one whose even mentioned 'Dusting' is you, fuckface." Blue hoodie was having none of this.

"I think teaming up is a grand idea..." The other 'Sans' said, with a worrisome glint in his eyes. "We can become _really_ close, I just know it."

Orange hoodie settled down with his bundle, sighing. "Chances are, we're in this guy's world." He stroked the little Sans in his lap tenderly. "Which means we're _all_ out of our element."

"Speak fer yerself," mustard drinker said. "Th' only difference 'tween this an' what I'm used t' is th' bar tab. 'rather like gettin' free shit." Papyrus lit a new cigarette, silently agreeing to a certain extent.

"So you don't want to go back and see your bro again?" Blue hoodie asked incredulously.

That sparked a fit of granite laughter. "An' have Boss rip me a new one? Fuck that shit! This is th' best vacation I've ever had!"

Papyrus smirked at the word 'Boss'. Looks like the two of them had more in common than just fashion. No wonder he had been so easy to reason with.

Orange hoodie rubbed the back of his skull with a free hand. "Why don't we just start with introductions..?"

"Why bother?" Blue hoodie leaned back in his booth seat. "We already know everyone's names..."

"We could give ourselves nicknames! I want to make sure when you're screaming, it's definitely for me!" Blue hoodie shuddered as the other 'Sans' winked at him.

"A naming convention isn't a bad idea..." Papyrus said after a moment.

"Call me whatever th' fuck ya like..." The mustard drinker said, starting back up on his drink.

"Whatever you say, Red, darling..." The 'Sans' purred, wrapping his arms around the one now called Red.

Red bristled, shaking him off. "Don't fuckin' touch me ya slut!" Red brandished his claws again, snarling in a manner that broached no arguments.

The other 'Sans' smirked, unfazed by the hostility. "Slut is a bit harsh... Why not call me 'Lust' instead? That has a better ring to it!"

Papyrus rubbed his head. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

By the time the dawning light had crept back over Snowdin, everyone had a new name. It was mostly the work of the one in the revealing clothing, who was now called 'Lust'. Lust treated the whole ordeal like some kind of game. The mustard drinker was 'Red', the one in the blue hoodie was 'Dance', the smoking Papyrus was 'Slim' (for the smokes perhaps?), and Papyrus himself was now called 'Stretch'. The only one without a new moniker was the sleeping Sans in his arms.

The room had grown quiet again rather quickly, as the ramifications of their predicament and their own collective exhaustion seem to settle in. Red had gone through three bottles of mustard by this point, and was now digging under the counter for a fourth. The only reason Stretch could read the exhaustion on HIS face at all was because he shared the same subtle indicators as Stretch's brother. Dance had finally collapsed in the booth and had seemingly fallen asleep, his feet making little motions as they hung over the end of the cushions (probably how Lust got his name - his feet seemed to move to some silent rhythm without him even noticing). Lust himself was lounging on the opposite cushions, somewhere between wakefulness and true sleep, his legs sprawled in a way that made Stretch think they were a little too versatile. Slim was pulling out his Nth cigarette, a small pile of buds accumulated on the table he slumped over. Stretch hadn't paid enough attention to how he kept putting them out. He got the feeling he didn't want to know.

Rummaging into his pocket, Stretch pulled out his last honey packet. Ripping it open with his teeth, he downed it faster than he should have. He doubted he'd be able to find any more anytime soon. But he couldn't sleep, despite how tired he was. If he fell asleep he might not be awake when the 'Sans' in his arms woke up. And that was unacceptable. Despite knowing who (and what) the others in the room were, he didn't trust them to handle the situation with the gentleness and tact it required. But deep down all Stretch wanted was to pull his hood up and go dead to the world.

Dance jumped up to his feet, groaning. He had not really been asleep. "I can't take this silence anymore..!" Cracking the joints in his hands, he went over to the old Juke box. Like the one in the Muffet's Stretch knew so well, it was broken. Dance stopped in front of it, looking left and right, and then shrugged. "Well, might as well see what happens..." He snapped his fingers, and seemed to disappear.

Red snorted. "Moron..."

Slim looked up, curious. He agreed with Red. Considering what happened the last time one of them took a Shortcut, doing it again didn't sound like the smartest idea.

But after a few minutes, Dance was back, holding a large amalgamation of metal appliances and tools he must have procured from one place or another. He dropped them carefully to the floor and pulled the Jukebox down. Turning it gently so the back panel was facing up, Dance opened it and began tinkering with the guts of the machine. The soft clicking of metal and bone was almost hypnotic. Red and Slim watched in fascination. Stretch would have liked to watch too, but if he moved from his spot on the floor it might disturb the 'Sans' in his arms. So he stayed put, listening.

It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes before Dance stood up, righting the machine. With a smug look on his face, he flipped a switch and the Juke box sprang to life, playing some annoyingly catchy country music. Dance leaned back against the wall, sighing. He looked up to see everyone staring at him (including Lust, who had shot up at the sound of the music).

"What?" Dance asked, his hands back in his hoodie pockets. "Nobody else here has a Masters in Engineering?" His face was in a shit eating grin that seemed contagious to Stretch.

Red opened his mouth to say something, but shut it sharply, thinking better of it.

Lust stood up. "If we're going to have music, it might as well be GOOD music..." he came over and started browsing the selection.

Dance shrugged. "It's all crap... but it sure beats the quiet."

Lust looked over his shoulder. "I don't know, I like this one..." he said, pointing.

Dance looked at him with one of his eye ridges raised. "You're kidding."

Lust grinned wider and pressed the button. After a moment, the first few notes of 'Never Going To Give You Up' by Rick Astley began to play.

Red groaned and let his head fall to the counter. "TURN IT OFF!" He snarled, but even from Stretch's vantage point he could see Red's shoulders vibrating with laughter he was too proud to let out. Lust just grinned and started dancing to the beat, holding his hand out to Dance. Dance stuffed his own hands in his pockets and looked away. Lust shrugged and danced by himself. Slim snickered, letting his head bob a little. Stretch started shaking, suppressing his own laughter as much as he could so as not to disturb the 'Sans' in his lap.

However, the noise was more than enough to wake up 'Sans'. He groaned loudly, pulling his jacket hood over himself and mumbling something that sounded like "Five more minutes, Papyrus..." Then he seemed to realize where he was (or, more importantly, where he wasn't). 'Sans' shot up, looking Stretch in the eyes. "Pap...?"

Stretch smiled. "Kinda... Long story..."

Red snorted. "Hey, look, th' shit stain's up. Great..." He chugged his mustard.

'Sans' turned to look for the source of the voice.

Lust stopped his dancing to look at Red. "Just because you have self esteem issues doesn't mean the rest of us do, Red."

Red snorted. "Yeah, it kinda does..."

Lust wrapped his arms around Red's neck and nuzzled. "I'll make you feel better about yourself if you want..." he purred, his voice low and silky and filled with promises. For a moment, even Red was tempted. But he shook him off again.

'Sans' stared at the exchange, then started laughing. "I'm still dreaming. Fuck..."

Slim put his cigarette down. "If this is yer dream, please wake up. I got an errand ta run."

Dance leaned against the wall. "Not to be a bother, but when is this guy going to be ready to talk?"

Stretch put a protective hand over 'Sans'. "Give him some more time... He's clearly been through a lot."

Red rolled his eyes (or he would have had he had them). "You guys don't even know what 'a lot' is..."

Slim put his cigarette out in his arm. "Lets not make this a contest, lil' guy..."

Red grinned, licking some stray mustard off his gold tooth. "Yer just mad 'cuz I'd win, Princess."

'Sans' finally got his maniacal laughing fit under control. Wiping his face with his jacket sleeve, he took a deep breath. "So what is this? Some kind of schizophrenic hallucination?"

Stretch just sighed. "Two words: Multiverse Theory."

'Sans' snickered, still a bit out of sorts. "So either way I'm just _talking to myself_!" He started laughing like crazy again. Red even joined in, finding the joke too much to keep himself under control.

Trembling in the corner, Dance kept his face down. "But you'll never know what you're going to say _next_?!" Dance threw his head back, shaking violently in laughter.

Slim started shaking after that. "At- at least you'll technically always _know the punchline_ though, right?" As everyone in the room starts howling with laughter, Slim covered his face with his free hand, pounding the table lightly with the other.

Red pushed himself upright. "Always knew m' life was one big joke... 'just never found it so funny before..!"

Lust took a few shuddering breaths. "I needed that..."

Stretch gripped 'Sans's shoulder, bringing himself down with the grounded contact. "I think we all needed that..."

"Guess we all know what we're callin' HIM now, huh..?" Red said, wiping his eyes.

"What?" Lust asked, genuinely curious.

"COMIC SANS!"

The whole room exploded in laughter all over again.

* * *

Comic sighed, pulling himself to his feet. He looked down at himself, bloody and dusty and smelling of ketchup (not that that was unusual). "Heh, I guess I should have cleaned up, but I wasn't expecting guests..."

Stretch waved a dismissive hand. "I don't think anyone minds..."

"I'll clean you up, cutie..." Lust interjected, wiggling his brow ridges suggestively.

"Can it, slut," Red growled.

Slim took a drag, eyes half shut as he enjoyed it. "We allowed to ask what happened?"

Comic went still. Sighing, he slid back against the wall, clutching the red cloth (which he hadn't let go of, even in his sleep) to his chest. A look of unbridled rage creeped onto his face. "That fucking kid... it was that fucking kid. They killed everyone... Muffet, Mettaton, Undyne..." His grip got so tight, it looked like he was going to break his own bones from the strain. "Even Papyrus... Oh god... Papyrus..."

Comic looked like he was about to break down again. Slim almost regretted asking. Almost. Stretch couldn't stand it. Before he knew what he was doing, Stretch had Comic back in his arms, holding him protectively, making soft, comforting noises. Comic knew it wasn't really his brother holding him, but he let himself be soothed regardless.

Red took another swig, finishing the bottle. "So what, then? Ya telling me some freak o' nature comes in here, commits genocide while ya watch, an' after they've killed everyone, ya snap their neck an' take their LOVE? Heh," he leaned on one arm, propping his head up. "Hardcore, I can respect that..."

Lust shot Red a look. "Not very tactful are you, sweetie?"

"WHAT? Where I come from, that's Boss Monster shit right there! There ain't nobody 'n th' whole underground above LV 12, 'cept th' King, and o' course Boss..."

"Same," Slim chirped casually, going for a new cigarette and realizing the pack had run dry. He reached into his pocket to look for another one, and found he was officially out. "Tch, damn..."

Comic pulled away from Stretch, calm again. "So, fair is fair. How'd you guys get here?"

"Shortcut," everyone said at once.

"Thats it?" Comic asked. "You suddenly decide to take a Shortcut into hell?"

"HA! No! Just wanted t' go t' Grillby's, is all. Better than going home t' Boss' bullshit..." Red reached to find a new bottle absently, sure he had drained the place but it never hurt to look.

"I just wanted a snack from Muffet..." Stretch admitted...

"My bro was hungry, so Muffet's sounded like an easy bite..." Slim drawled.

"I always go to Grillby's midnight hour. If I stay until closing, sometimes I get lucky!" Lust smiled, thinking about it.

"Didn't feel like sleeping..." Dance admitted.

Comic thought about. "Is Muffet's 'here' where you come from?" Comic asked, looking at Stretch.

Stretch nodded. "Same for you, Slim?" Slim nodded.

"So..." Comic played with the frayed edges of the red cloth. "So we were all going to the same 'place' when we took the Shortcut... It might have even been at the same time... No it most definitely was..."

Red pulled himself up from behind the counter, a little annoyed that his search had been fruitless. "It's probably gotta do with th' amount o' LOVE ya got," he said. "Yer a fuckin' tank now, ya seriously expect somethin' like phasin' through Space-Time t' go unaffected?"

Comic cringed, but didn't protest.

Slim nervously tapped his phalanges on the table, already feeling off without his smokes to keep him calm. "Don't feel bad, lil guy. Ya ain't the only one with some LOVE in there heart here... Is he, Red?"

Red scoffed. "Well, duh. An' if ya ain't Dusted nobody yerself, I'll eat my fuckin' shirt."

"Keep yer shirt on then," Slim replied with some amusement.

"Can we NOT talk about 'Dusting,' please and thank you?" Dance suggested.

"Then..." Comic took a deep breath. "Then you're all here because of me... And I have no way of sending you back."

The room went silent.

"Fuck," Red let out under his breath.

* * *

In the subsequent silence that filled the room, they could all hear the soft crackling that approached from outside. Red jumped down from his stool, stretching and cracking his left claw, tense and ready to fight. Dance jumped back against the wall, taking a defensive stance. Lust braced himself on the booth table, less nervous than the others, but still more alert than he had been. Slim tilted his head to listen better but didn't move. Stretch stood up, an unconscious protective hand on Comic's shoulder. Comic got to his feet, looking like he was torn between fear and rage.

Then the doors swung open. A soft orange glow permeated the room as Grillby took his first few steps back into his bar. He looked disheveled and worn, his fire dull compared to its usual warmth and vitality. His glasses were crooked and there was dust all over his pants and shoes.

"GRILLBY!" Comic cried, running over. He jumped into the fire elemental's arms, hugging him like the last precious thing in the world. "Goddamn it, Grillbz, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Grillby himself returned the hug with gusto, his fire flickering back to a warmer hue. "................................................................You're alright..." came his soft crackling voice, rasping and low and full of emotion he had never shown before.

"What are you DOING here?!" Comic asked after a moment, pulling away.

"................................................................Cameras lost you..." Grillby said, referring to the extensive network of surveillance cameras Alphys had installed across the underground.  
"................................................................I could not..." Grillby squeezed Comic's humerus.  
"................................................................This is my bar..." Grillby seemed to be trying to say something more, but he clung to his favorite customer, kneeling down so his face could rest against Comic's clavicle and nestle under his jaw.  
"................................................................You're alive..."

Comic understood. Grillby thought he had died. Grillby thought it was over. So he had come back to his bar, like a pirate captain going down with his ship. Comic wrapped his arms around the trembling elemental. He knew all too well what it felt like to be _done_.

After letting Grillby pull himself back together, Comic started signing in that way with his hands. { _Who all got out?_ }

Grillby took a moment to respond in kind. { _When Alphys called, I got most of Snowden to safety. Monster Kid had wandered off, but I found him in Waterfall. Alphys got most of Hotland herself, with Metaton's help._ }

Comic sighed in relief. Then he remembered something. { _Fuku?_ } He asked, almost hesitantly.

Grillby looked liked he smiled. { _Safe. Blessedly._ }

{ _Good for you._ } Was all Comic could think to respond. A little of the weight on his soul seemed to lift. More had survived than he had imagined.

Then the silence was broken by the click of a cheep lighter.

"Gonna share?" Slim asked, coming over to sit by Red.

Red jumped a bit, then leered at him. "YOU didn't offer!"

"I didn't think ya were inta that," Slim replied, holding his hand out.

"Ya didn't wanna share, is what ya mean," Red shot back, grudgingly popping a second cigarette out of his pack.

"Yer an angel, Red," Slim purred, lighting the end on Red's and taking a long euphoric inhalation.

Grillby looked up, not having noticed the others before. He fixed his glasses, probably blinking in confusion behind them.

Comic laughed nervously. "Don't ask. Just put it on my tab."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, lets summarize:
> 
> Undertale Sans = Comic  
> Underfell Sans = Red  
> Underswap Papyrus = Stretch  
> Swapfell Papyrus = Slim  
> Underlust Sans = Lust  
> Dancetale Sans = Dance
> 
> Yeah not very original but it seems to be the generally accepted pseudo-fanon names. I just go with it.


	3. Bonding and Teamwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more of a look into the personal lives of the guys. Be prepared for drugs, sex, and feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of my deviations on the AUs come out here. See bottom notes for head-canon explanation.

After spending the rest of the day helping Grillby clean up the worst of the mess, Comic herded the others out of the bar. Once outside in the now fading light, he turned on them. "Now I know this is probably my fault-"

"Ya got that right," Red pointed out irritably.

"-So," Comic continued, not missing a beat, "You can stay at my place until we figure out how to fix it. Judging from what Grillby said, the survivors will likely start making their way back home."

"And you don't want us scaring them, got it." Stretch nodded.

Comic led them back to his and- to his house. Stretch and Slim both stopped for a moment in front of the mailboxes. Seeing a mailbox with the name "Papyrus" sitting there, completely empty, was rather jarring for them both. Stretch had always been the responsible one, and Slim took on the bulk of the chores and bills simply because his brother didn't want to be bothered with them. They both looked at Comic's back, realizing more than ever what kind of loss he had suffered. Then they went inside.

Everyone but Comic seemed to stop not far from the door. The sock with the sticky notes; the pet rock covered in sprinkles; the trashy couch; the cheep painting hanging on the second floor wall; everything was so familiar, and yet so very different.

Stretch was immediately drawn to the back wall, behind the couch, where a few photos where hung in a strange echo of his own home. One of the pictures showed Comic sleeping at what must have been his sentry station, another had Comic posing with what looked like Stretch, but dressed in an outfit that echoed his own little brother's Battle Body. Stretch saw the red scarf, fluttering and yet still in the image, and felt poignantly the pain Comic must have been suffering. He looked at Comic, saw the red scraps still clutched in his hand, and remembered the CHECK: [ARMOR: Papyrus's Scarf].

Stretch was brought out of his melancholy by Red, who sniffed. "This place 's too clean..."

"I bet we can make it dirty, together..." Lust smiled. Red stepped away from him.

Dance flopped on the couch, letting himself relax. "Almost like home..."

Comic watched them from the stairs. "My brother's room is right here. Feel free to use it, and the couch. I might have room for one other person in my room," he pointed at the door on the far side of the second floor, "but the mattress isn't very big. I'll let you all decide who sleeps where." Comic headed to his room, unlocking it with a small key he produced from his jacket. "Help yourself to the kitchen." he disappeared inside.

Slim went to the television, and rummaged in the drawer. He pulled out a key, and headed out.

"Where are you going?" Stretch asked.

"The Shed." Slim replied without stopping.

"Why?" Asked Dance, sitting up on the couch.

"Makes sense. That frees up more room fer you guys, doesn't it? Unless one a ya wanted the shed..." Slim seemed to pause, his hand on the door.

"No! Just -" Lust wasn't sure how to put his feelings on the matter into words.

Red turned around. "Actually, that don't sound too bad. I'll join ya."

Slim shrugged. The two went, leaving Lust, Dance, and Stretch to stare after them.

* * *

Slim opened the shed door, watching Red from the corner of his eye. "Why come out with me?"

Red snickered. "An' let ya off unsupervised? Fat chance. 'sides," he pulled out a bag of rolled up paper, shaking it tantalizingly before pulling out one of the rolls, "No one else can bitch 'bout th' smell."

Slim almost smiled. He took the proffered stick and lit it. He and Red really did have a lot in common.

* * *

Stretch took a look inside the room upstairs. His breath caught. It was like stepping into his own little brother's room. The toys, the bookshelf, the computer, it was all there. He ran the tips of his phalanges along the orange-red racecar bed, feeling something in his nonexistent guts tighten.

He went a little too quickly to the closet, and rummaged around until he found a few blankets and spare pillows. Stretch was quickly coming to understand how intimately he knew the way Comic's mind worked. All the comforts were reserved for his brother. Stretch would bet his left leg that Comic's room was almost barren by contrast. Just like his own.

Closing the closet door softly, Stretch went back downstairs. "You two will be able to share that bed comfortably enough. I'll take the couch."

"You sure..?" Dance asked. Lust watched with admiration (and something else) as Dance got to his feet without using his hands in a fluid motion that demonstrated just how limber his small body really was.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Stretch held up the blankets and pillows. "I'll just drop a few of these off for Red and Slim." With that, Stretch went outside.

Lust looked back at Dance. "So its just you and me tonight, huh?" He came closer. "Maybe we can spend some time... getting to know each other..?" Lust let his hand creep up Dance's hoodie, the tips of his index and middle phalanges walking over Dance's sternum.

Dance's face flushed a noble blue. "N-No thanks, pal. I don't dance like that..."

Lust's finger hovered close to Dance's jaw, twirling the drawstrings of his hood slowly. Dance felt a thin layer of sweat start to form on his skull. His body was screaming that Lust was TOO CLOSE and he needed to GET AWAY, but something about the way Lust moved had him frozen. It was almost like Lust was dancing with him, but Dance didn't know any of the steps. Dance didn't like that feeling.

After a moment that seemed like an age, Lust pulled away. "Well, if you change your mind, my offer still stands." Winking, he headed upstairs, pelvis swaying invitingly.

Dance let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and slowly followed. A good nights sleep was going to do wonders for his fraying nerves.

* * *

Stretch opened the shed door and immediately started coughing. The smoke was thick in the air. Waving a hand to dissipate it enough to endure, he came inside.

Slim and Red had gone though a set of wood bars far to wide to stop anyone, and were lounging on the floor. Red himself had curled up on what seemed to be a dog bed. He was small enough that it fit him like a flat beanbag chair. Slim had his back against the far wall, stretched out near a dog dish. They were both smoking something that was not tobacco, giggling like idiots.

"So Aaron's on th' ground, turnt t' dust, and Boss just keeps punching 'n kicking th' pile like its no tomorrow! An'- an' so I says, I says 'Boss, he's dead, what're ya doin'?!' And Boss goes _'I'm beatin' a dead horse!'_ " This sets both Red and Slim off into fits of laughter. After Red calms down, he continues, "Boss didn't get what was so funny, cuz next thin' I know I'm upside down 'n a snow poff, but it was totally worth it!"

Slim wiped a tear from his eye. "My bro ain't nearly as easy ta sets up as yerzzz," he said, his words slipping a little. "But once- once- once he asked me what I'd been thinking about. So I said- I said 'Updog' and he asked 'What's Updog?' so I say, 'Nothing, _whats up with you_?!'" Again the two stoners start laughing, and this time Stretch even joins in.

Slim and Red look up, not having noticed Stretch come in. "Whatcha doin' here?" Red asked, a tension in his voice that hadn't been there a moment earlier.

"I thought you guys might like these," Stretch said, waving the pillows and blankets out for them. Slim grabbed a pillow and put it on the floor to sit on. Red swiped a blanket and laid it over his legs. He seemed to relax more once Stretch took a few steps back. Stretch then realized that the two of them were quite a distance from each other to be holding a conversation. He decided to not ponder the implications of that as he backed up to the other end of the room.

"Thanks," Slim drawled, instantly more comfortable.

"Not a problem, friend," Stretch replied, starting to feel a little off. The smell of the smoke in the shed had him very relaxed, despite himself. He put the remaining pillows and blankets on the floor, sliding down the wall to sit next to them. "What are you guys up to in here..?"

Red grinned. "Just a lil dope t' take th' edge off. Want some?" He pulled out a roll, tossing it into Stretch's lap.

Stretch took it, inspecting. "This is just weed, right? Nothing else?"

Red rolled his eyes. "Naw, I put Temmie Flakes in there- o' course its just weed!" He tossed a box of matches to Stretch. "See fer yerself."

Stretch was hesitant at first -- it wasn't that he hadn't tried anything before (and he was a heavy drinker when he wanted to be) but that was just it- he was already feeling it from the second hand and that had never happened before. He was curious though, so he pulled out a match and lit the joint.

The first hit was _amazing_.

What must have been an hour later, Stretch snickered. "That- was not- just weed..." He managed to say.

Slim was sprawled on his back, head on the pillow and legs crossed. "He's callin' ya a liar, Red..!"

Red laughed, taking the joint from between his teeth. "I hadn't smoked this batch before... Maybe my dealer decided t' start givin' me th' good shit... Or... more like... someone spiked it t' give 'mselves an openin'... Heh," Red tried to sit up, and failed. "I'mma kick th' shit outa that bitch when I get back..."

"So... whose your dealer anyway?" Slim asked.

"Alphys..." Red said, much more talkative now that he was high. "Bitch has a whole greenhouse in her fuckin' basement. Half o' it's buttercups (Assgore an' his fuckin' sissy ass tea, am I right?) but she also got some tobacco an' weed. Only place 'n th' whole Underground ya can get th' fresh stuff." He took another drag, giggling in that deep gravel way he had. "Makes some sweet money fer her research, if ya can call it that. Not like anythin' is original. I SEE WHAT YER DOIN' YA BITCH! HAHAHA!! Don't think I don't know whose notes yer workin' from!"

"Nyeheh," Slim shifted, "Sounds like someone's bitter..."

"FUCK YEAH I'm bitter! Bitter like this weed, ha!" Red sighed. "Not like I'd get anythin' from callin' her out though... My name wasn't gonna be on them thesis papers anyway, so I ain't losing nothin'... An' I'll admit, th' 'Robot' was a stroke o' genius," You could hear the quotation marks as Red talked, "Had us all fooled. Don't think no one else knows even now..."

Slim grinned, pulling his joint away and sighing contentedly. "We really are alike..."

Stretch started laughing. "Thats kinda the point, in'it?" After a moment, they were all in a fit of giggles again. Stretch laid his head on the spare pillows. He probably wasn't going to make it to the couch tonight. It was already hard to move. Some kind of slow acting paralysis? Red's world was pretty different if he reacts to being poisoned with this kind of irreverence. Not that Stretch is in any position to judge. He wasn't panicking, now was he? Why was that? Oh, right, the weed.

"This happen often?" Stretch finally asked. "Havin' your weed messed with, I mean..."

"Nah, nah" Red growled in a way that might have been a purr coming from him. "She knows better 'n t' mess with me. Or she did. Maybe she's tryin' a new blend. Maybe she's experimentin' on me... Not that _that's_ an excuse. She's still gonna get it..."

"Yer not gonna kill her are ya..?" Stretch asked.

"Nah, Nah..." Red's eyes were half shut. "Hell, I might ask fer more. This feels pretty good..."

Slim DID purr, in his own way. "Almost makes ya forget what shit the world is..."

Stretch let the conversation (such as it was) drop. It was becoming harder to think coherently. He clearly didn't have the same tolerance for this the other two had. Maybe because he didn't use much. He could distantly hear the other two still talking, but the words sounded fuzzy and he couldn't parse the information into anything recognizable. Listening to their laughter, he wondered how much he was going to remember about tonight as his consciousness began to dim.

* * *

Lust got up, careful not to touch Dance. The guy was a little jumpy about contact, and Lust wanted to respect his boundaries now that he sort of knew them. Sliding quietly to the floor, Lust crept quietly out of the bedroom and headed downstairs.

It had only been one day, and Lust was already feeling the uncomfortable heat crawling in his bones. Without his usual outlets, he just had to grin and bear it. But his body temperature was becoming uncomfortable, so he went out into the snow. Laying down, the icy touch of the snow was almost a relief. It helped, a little.

Lust had quickly realize that he was the odd man out in this regard. He supposed his was the only universe (or at least the only one presently represented) that had been exposed to human 'LUST'. That's why he had given himself that nickname. It was a little inside joke, just for him.

But this was going to become a problem if he didn't find a way to manage his needs. Pushing himself up, he went behind the shed, careful to make sure he wouldn't be seen if anyone passed by, and sat in the snow.

Lust took a deep breath, and began. One hand tenderly stroking his false ribs, he leaned back into the wood of the shed and closed his eyes. His other hand snaked down and stroked the curves of his ilium, thumb sliding along the iliac crest. As he felt the heat intensify from the attention, his magic gathering in his pelvic inlet, he pushed his pants out of the way and slid his hand down to caress his pubic symphysis. The stimulation was enough to draw out a low moan, which Lust quickly stifled. He didn't want to bother anyone with his noise.

It didn't take long to become fully primed. It rarely did. His magic condensed and formed a reasonably sized amethyst member, which throbbed with a soft liquid light. The head quickly started leaking concentrated 'LUST', which dripped into the snow and stained it purple. Wrapping his hand around his magic, Lust began to give himself relief.

As he got closer, his hand on his ribs moved from the bone to the costal cartilage near his sternum. He bit back a cry as his strokes became a bit rougher. The cartilage was a rather sensitive (and rarely exploited) part of his skeletal body. He was probably the only one who knew about it. His hot breath clearly visible in the cold night air, Lust bit back another soft noise that threatened to escape into the night. Curling in on himself, he started rocking and thrusting rhythmically, digging his sacrum into the snow that brought a contrast to his body's unbearable heat.

Gaining momentum, Lust bit his conjured tongue to keep himself from screaming in frustration. It wasn't enough, HE wasn't going to be enough..! _He needed more, he needed help, he needed-_

Then it was over. He finally pushed himself over the edge, and came, there in the falling snow.

Panting, Lust fell to the side. The heat began to fade, but could tell this was a temporary solution at best. Self help had never been enough. Rolling on his back, Lust sighed. "Fuck me..." He wasn't sure what he meant by that. Probably all the meanings.

After letting himself come all the way down, Lust picked himself out of the snow and headed back to bed.

* * *

Stretch felt someone shaking him. The hand was small and boney and gentle. Blinking, he sat up from his uncomfortable place on the shed floor. "I'm up..." He managed to say, working a crick from his neck.

"Good," said his brother's voice. Stretch looked up. It was Dance, his hood down. "I thought you said you were going to sleep on the couch..."

"I was," Stretch said, standing up slowly. His body still felt heavy and unresponsive, but he could move, and the only pain was the usual aches he got from sleeping on a hard surface.

Dance looked over at Slim, then Red, who were both still sleeping undisturbed. He saw the remains of the blunts on the floor and put the pieces together. Looking at Stretch, he crossed his arms. "Those two EdgeLords I can understand, but I thought you were above that sort of thing..."

Stretch chuckled. "Well, you thought wrong. I rather enjoy the occasional distraction."

Dance sighed. "Not like it hurts me any..." Stuffing his hands in his hoodie in unison with Stretch, Dance headed out. "We're trying to put together breakfast," he called over his shoulder. "Wake those two, would ya?" Dance slammed the door of the shed hard, making a loud THWACK to punctuate his exit.

Stretch scratched lazily at his skull, looking back at the other two. At the sound of the door, Red and Slim had both shot to their feet, not actually awake, their bodies moving on instinct. "I'm up..." they both said, almost in unison, as their minds tried to catch up with the rest of them. Stretch watched in curiosity. What had made those two so quick..? He got the feeling he didn't want to know. He realized he got that feeling a lot when it came to them...

Red was the first to come to himself. Looking up, he put his left claw out, half as a threat, half for balance. Then he realized where he was and who he was with, and pulled his claw back into his coat pocket. "Mornin'" he said lazily.

Slim seemed to be waiting for some kind of outside stimulation (a command..?). After not getting one, he looked up. And realized where he was and who he was with. "Mornin' ta you too, Red..."

Red and Slim seemed to look at each other (from Stretch's perspective), and the look in their eyes seemed to indicate they were sharing some inside joke which Stretch wasn't privy to. After a moment, they both grinned, then made their way out with a kind of understanding that was lost on Stretch. Stretch followed behind them.

Inside the house, Lust was slumped on the couch with Comic. They were staring at the Television, even though it was off, and fighting the urge to go back to sleep. Lust seemed to lose that fight; his eyes drifted shut, his body fell to the side and his head landed on Comic's shoulder. Comic hardly seemed to notice. He wasn't far behind.

Comic was much cleaner than he had been the day before. He had changed into another pair of shorts and wiped his slippers of the dust. The bottoms of the white fluff of his slippers were still tinged pink, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. His jacket still had some red stains on it, but his shirt was clean enough (probably also changed). Stretch smiled, starting to see the shadows of the way Comic had been before everything had happened. He liked it much better than the vision he had been given yesterday.

Stretch could hear noises from the kitchen. Looking inside, Dance was preparing something, a soft smile on his face, his body swaying to some silent melody as he whisked something in a large bowl.

"So when you said 'we' you meant 'you,' huh?" Stretch said, leaning against the wall.

"Comic was in here earlier. He put something in the oven... Called it a 'quiche,' but it smelled more like a pie to me." Taking a few steps back, then forward again, he put the bowl down and started looking in the pantry for something. "Looks like none of us are very good at cooking... We seem to be limited to one thing. But since those things are a little different, I think we can scratch out a decent meal... Give that Grillby some time to get back into working order."

"You thought this through..." Stretch said with a grin. "I'll add my contribution if I can. I don't know if this place has the ingredients I need, though..."

"Its got some scant baking supplies, and enough of those long noodles to drown in." Dance pulled out a small frying pan and grabbed his bowl, pouring some of the batter inside and starting the stovetop on medium. "I got lucky -- all I need for these hotcakes are eggs and flour and water."

Stretch shrugged, and went over to the fridge to see if there was anything he could salvage. Inside he found some tupperware with the word 'Spaghetti' scrawled on it in large letters. "Can't we just eat this? It looks alright..."

Dance said nothing. He just hopped a little to the side and fished out a fork from a drawer. Flipping his hotcake so it started cooking the other side, he spun and handed the fork to Stretch before spinning back and resuming his occasional shake and flip of the pan. Stretch watched these small, but precise movements with something akin to awe. It was like every move Dance made was a step in some painstakingly choreographed play, each motion a step in the dance of his life. Stretch had never noticed before since Dance seemed to avoid motion as much as possible.

Taking the fork, Stretch pulled himself away from his staring and opened the tupperware. He took a bite of the spaghetti. He froze.

"So...?" Dance asked innocently (maybe a little too innocently), his face turned away just enough that Stretch couldn't see his expression.

Stretch forced himself to swallow, slowly putting the fork and tupperware down. "You know exactly how it is, don't you?"

"Comic may have mentioned it this morning..." Dance said, his innocent visage starting to break down as his bones rattled with repressed laughter.

Stretch sighed. "Another seeming constant. Brothers who can't cook anything edible..."

A little laugh escaped Dance. "I guess I had an advantage here. My bro has a penchant for cooking pasta too..."

"My brother makes Tacos." Stretch said.

"How does he mess up-"

"He puts glitter in them."

* * *

Red was lounging on the floor, his head on the side of the couch, when Stretch and Dance came out of the kitchen. Slim was sitting not far away, his back to the wall near the door. At the sound of Stretch and Dance's footfalls, both Red and Slim seemed to start up to attention. After seeing the source of the noise though, they relaxed back into their lounging positions again. Both skeletons exhibited a submissiveness that made Stretch uncomfortable. But he didn't want to know. He did NOT want to know.

Dance either didn't notice the behavior, or like Stretch chose to ignore it, as he passed out plates of his hotcakes. "It isn't great, but it won't kill you either."

Lust sniffed his plate, tried picking one of the hotcakes up, and nipped. His face seemed to turn a shade of lavender, his eyes sparkling. "These... these are heavenly!"

Red didn't bother to sniff his. He just stuffed one in his mouth and swallowed without tasting. He did that one after the other until he noticed something, and slowed down. His face showed surprise, and he started savoring the last of his plate. Slims reaction was much the same, although he noticed the pleasantness of the food much faster.

Comic munched thoughtfully. "These aren't bad... Thanks..."

Dance grinned. "No problem. It was a piece of _cake_."

Stretch almost choked on his food, shuddering in a fit of sudden unexpected laughter. Lust dropped his own food which was half way to his mouth and fell backward into the couch giggling.

Comic grinned genuinely for the first time since this had begun. " _Pie_ see what you did there!" He managed to say, his body rattling with repressed laughter. Red and Slim lost it at that point, both sinking lower to the floor, vibrating in time with their snickering.

Dance almost dropped his own plate, clutching his middle. "Oh my god..!"

Lust got himself under control. "Well, you know what they say: _Muffins_ better than a good laugh!!" Stretch sank back to sit on the floor, putting his plate next to him as he lost what little breath he had in silent laughter.

Red straightened himself just long enough to say, " _Puddin'_ that int' practice, now, ain't we?!" before doubling over again, laughing louder than ever.

Slim took a few shallow breaths. " _Icecream_ -ing...!"

Comic rubbed his head, tears brimming along the ridge of his eye sockets. "I could _quiche_ you guys!"

Nobody could breath properly for a good 10 minutes. The food got cold.

Comic was brought back by the sound of the oven timer going off in the kitchen. He slid off the couch (it wasn't hard, he was halfway off it as it was) and made his wobbly way over to turn off the stove. Not bothering to put on oven mitts (it took a lot of heat to melt bone, and he hadn't turned to oven on that high), he reached in and pulled out his 'quiche'. Setting it on the counter to cool, he closed the oven and sank back onto the floor, cooling his hot hand on the tile.

 _'Gotta hand it to 'em,'_ Comic thought, _'They sure know how to cheer a guy up.'_ He sat there, smelling the slightly-too-sweet concoction he had made. Putting his much cooler hands in his jacket pocket, he felt the cloth he had stored inside. Pulling out the red scrap of cotton, Comic's face fell. "Damn it..." He held the remains of the scarf to his chest. Comic had seen it happen a hundred times. He had watched the toy knife make contact with his brother's spine, watched his brother go sickeningly still, watched his skull roll into the snow, listened to those last gut wrenching words a hundred times. Comic could say them without thinking, even down to the intonation and delivery:

"_W-well, that's not what I expected... But... St.. Still! I believe in you! You can do a little better! Even if you don't think so! I... I promise..._"

Comic buried his face in the cloth, shaking. "'I promise...' oh god..."

Stretch leaned against the wall near the kitchen doorway. He could only just hear Comic's voice over the din of the others as they exchanged more puns. Trying to keep a smile on his face so as not to tip off the others, Stretch felt his insides tighten and twist and squeeze. He had hoped with a naïvety usually reserved for his brother that the joviality of the group had dispelled Comic's grieving. He kicked himself inwardly for it. It would be a long time before that kind of hurt was ever manageable. That, or a miracle.

After letting Comic have a moment to let it out, Stretch slipped into the kitchen. Kneeling down, he put his hand on Comic's back. Comic pulled his head up with a start, and looked at him.

"I know I'm not really a good substitute... And I can't imagine what you're going through... But perhaps..." Stretch sighed, looking away. "Perhaps talking about it will help..?"

Comic stared at him. Then chuckled. "I must really look a mess if you felt the need to try and comfort me." He stood up. "Thanks for the offer, but-"

"You NEED to talk about it," Stretch said, firmly.

"No I don't," Comic said back, equally firmly. "It's not going to matter in the end, anyway."

"What is THAT supposed to-"

"C'mon, you know there isn't a point to anything..." Comic sighed, pushing the red scarf scrap back into his pocket. "I'm so tired... So fucking tired... How can you NOT be tired?"

Stretch didn't know what to say. He got the feeling that he was missing some important piece of the puzzle.

"How many?" Dance's voice came from the doorway. Stretch looked up sharply.

Comic sighed. "This run? I stopped counting after 10. Maybe 30? I dunno..." He let himself fall back onto the floor, staring at the ceiling.

Dance jumped over him, opening the fridge and pulling out a couple bottles of ketchup. He put one next to Comic, and started drinking out of the other. "I can't make myself keep track passed 10 either..."

"HAH!" Comic barked a short tense laugh. He grabbed the proffered ketchup and took a swig. "I know it doesn't matter - I _know_ \- but it doesn't make the hurt stop..."

Dance sighed. "At least they aren't ALL bad..."

"HAH! Yeah, no, sometimes the brat ain't that bad at all..." Comic rolled over so he was laying on his front, clutching the bottle near his face. "They can be a sweet little thing when they try..." Comic ran a hand over his left eye. "But that just makes seein' em' go bad all the worse..."

"Ya wanna hate the little shit..." Dance growled, "...But you've already bonded with them. Ya shared laughs... Ya watched them make your bro smile like he never smiled before... And even though ya know, ya _know_ it just ends in a _fucking_ reset... Ya can't hate the kid. Not really..."

"I just don't get it!" Comic screamed, slamming his fist (and ketchup bottle) down hard in front of him. "WHY?! I get it, I get it when they die, I get that! But why, WHY reset after the barrier- after- heh..." He smiled. "I got to see Pap drive this shiny red sports car... It was his dream... I got to see him live his dream..."

Dance put his hand on Comic's shoulder. "I get it, buddy... I totally get it..." He took a drink of the ketchup and sighed. "I'm tired too..."

Stretch sat back, watching the two ketchup drinkers in stunned silence. He had thought he was the one who understood Comic the most... But now he could see it was actually Dance who knew him best.

"Ehem..." Stretch looked up. Lust was in the doorway. "I don't mean to interrupt your... um... bonding... but we've been talking and I think we have an idea..." Lust indicated behind him.

Comic stood up. "Welp, can't be a lazybones all the time, can I?" He went back into the livingroom. Dance followed. Stretch came up the rear.

Slim and Red were bent over a large bit of paper on the floor, sitting opposite each other, taking turns making notes with a pencil. Lust stood behind Red, looking over it, then looked back at the other tree. "I thought, maybe, if our 'Shortcuts' are what got us here, maybe we could make some kind of amplifier to send us back?"

Comic looked over the tentative blueprints in amazement. "This is..?"

"Fuckin' impossible!" Red said with exasperation. "Th' piece o' shit'll just overheat an' explode."

"Not if we can distribute the energy bleeding like this..." Slim made a few marks around what looked like tubes.

Red snorted. "An' where 're we gonna get th' materials?"

"The dump usually has something," Dance interjected.

"Fixin' a jukebox ain't th' same as buildin' a space-time distortion amplifier," Red sneered.

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine and positivity," Stretch said, stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders. "Look, as far as I'm concerned, it's worth a shot."

"An' if we overshoot it?" Red pushed, arms crossed.

"What happens if we overshoot it?" Lust asked. His specialty was biology, not theoretical physics.

"Space-time collapses. We'll probably end up with a black hole..." Comic shrugged. "Or we'll get thrown into the void and scattered across space-time like so much confetti. You know, the usual." Lust blanched.

"Exactly, so it ain't worth th' risk!" Red said, putting the pencil down.

"Ya say that, but you've made as many marks on this paper as I have," Slim drawled. "And some a them were even useful!"

"Fuck you," Red snapped.

"Need help with that?" Lust purred.

"Easy, guys, no need to get physical," Stretch waved his hand, trying to quell the tension. "Lets just take this one step at a time. First thing is the planning."

Dance sat cross legged next to the blueprints, between Red and Slim. "You guys sure know how to make it hard on an engineer..." He breathed, scratching his head. "I think I might be able to get what you need, with a little luck... But..." He snatched the pencil from Slim, and made a few notes, sketching out a new part of the device. "I think we'll need one of these. You know, so it doesn't explode?" Red shot him a dirty look, but didn't object. Slim looked at it a few times, then smiled in approval.

Comic looked over the blueprint again. "I might be able to get some of the rarer materials off of Alphys..."

"With luck, there will be plenty of raw materials in the dump..." Dance put the pencil down.

"If we're really gonna do this, we'll a workspace." Red rubbed his head. He hadn't done calculations like this in years. He felt like he was stretching muscles that had gone unused for too long.

Comic grinned. "Its out back. It ain't big, but it should be enough."

Dance stood up. "Then I'll leave you all to this. I'd best start looking for supplies." With that, he vanished.

Lust looked back at the plans. "I'm no expert, but this machine looks rather large... If this works... won't it be one-way?"

Red looked at him. "What, ya _wanna_ start hopping back and forth?"

Lust blushed. "Thats not what I meant. I mean, we'll have to test to see if it works, right? But if it's one way, how will those left behind know if it worked correctly? What if the calculations are off, and it sends you to the wrong place? How will we get back to tell the others?"

Slim clicked his teeth softly. "That's a good point..." He looked back at the plans. "Perhaps we could make some supplementary devices... Ones that'll resonate and allow fer remote use..?"

Red snorted. "If this piece o' shit actually works, it ain't gonna matter where ya are. You'll be able t' use it simply 'cause it exists."

Slim looked down at Red skeptically. "That only makes sense if ya work under the assumption a membranes."

Red leered. "Which is th' most plausible, considerin' th' only other theory which holds a teaspoon's worth o' water is th' 'Bubble' theory. An' that's clearly nonsense when ya consider th' evidence."

Slim raised an eyebrow. "Membranes leave the possibility a different universal constants being a factor. Bubble theory explains why our mathematical constants are uniform -- its the only set a constants that allows fer stability. All other bubbles pop."

Red twitched. "Assumin' these 're th' only constants that work is a leap in ones thinkin'! We got 'n unfathomably small sample size, that just all coincident'ly happen t' have uniform constants."

"Pretty big coincidence though, ain't it?"

"It's still inconclusive!"

Stretch sat on the couch with Comic. "This might just be me," he thought aloud, "But watching a couple of Edge Lords talk nerdy to each other is hands down the most entertaining thing I've ever seen!"

Slim and Red stopped, and both turned to glare at Stretch. Stretch couldn't keep himself from laughing. Neither could Comic. Lust was lost in thought. He had an idea.

* * *

Dance trudged through the snow, going down the familiar yet foreign path toward the analogy of his sanctuary. He wasn't entirely certain it would be there, but he wanted to be alone and it was the only place he could think of.

As he broke though the treeline, he saw it, and let out a sigh of relief. There it was - the great door that he had spent so many hours forgetting his troubles at. Sitting down in the snow, his back to the door, he instinctively held his hand out and conjured a guitar with his magic. It wasn't his usual thing (being more a beatbox, hip hip, sometimes techno kinda guy) but he played strings so often for his brother it was almost second nature in his hand. He smiled to himself - that wasn't entirely true. He played this guitar for someone else, too. Someone always danced to his guitar when he played it here, at these doors. It was his greatest regret that he had never actually seen them do it.

Strumming the glowing magic strings, he let his SOUL guide his fingers. Soon [a song full of melancholy, hope, and longing](https://soundcloud.com/kumaccino/close-to-you-ver-sansvoice-undertale) was carved into the frigid air. Bobbing his head, tapping feet to the beat, Dance started singing along. The simple act of indulging in this small distraction momentarily washed his trepidation and fear away. Closing his eyes, he could almost picture those two important people, dancing just out of reach: one face so clearly etched in his minds eye it was almost painful, his gentle form moving with grace and nobility as his smile glinted in the light; the other faceless, but with laughter so distinct and beautiful he thought he could still hear it even now, soft footfalls whispering to the beat, her silhouette in poetic motion.

The lyrics that came to him as he sank deeper into his guilty pleasure echoed his insecurities. As the song came to it's natural conclusion, Dance felt a sense of loss. With a sigh, he let the guitar fade, and pushed himself up. Placing a hand against the door, he opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. It wasn't like his important person was there anyway.

Dance pulled back, and, taking a shortcut to the dump, began scavenging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK SO:
> 
> ~ Red and Slim do drugs on the side to cope with their shitty Kill-or-Be-Killed universes.
> 
> ~ Since UF!Papyrus has anger management issues, my headcanon is that once he goes into his rage mode, he starts repeating what he hears without thinking about it. Nobody knows about this but UF!Sans (cuz nobody else sticks around or lives long enough to see this stage of UF!Pap's rampage). UF!Sans takes advantage of this by guiding UF!Pap to say funny things. Like saying "That's a horse." "Its dead".
> 
> ~ I don't think SF!Sans has this particular trait. I see SF!Sans being more calculating and deliberate, more aware of himself. So SF!Pap doesn't get to do this, and hearing about it from UF!Sans is amusing to him.
> 
> ~ UF!Alphys did spike Red's weed -- for science. And it isn't the first time, it's just the first time it's been enough for Red to notice. She has been upping the dose for a while, waiting to see how much it takes to be effective without being noticeable. She finally hit the sweet spot.
> 
> ~ Red and Slim are nervous around the others because of their experiences, but instinctively feel a kind of kinship with each other. They are both the target of abuse, and while "safe" isn't the right word, they feel like they know what to expect from each other. Since they are the ones with the most kills, they also kinda want to keep an eye on each other in case one decides to get rid of the troublesome elements
> 
> ~ While all the Sans/Papyrus of each AU are very intelligent (with monster equivalents of Ph.Ds and Master degrees and such) I think they all have slightly different specialties. Comic, Red, specialize in Quantum Physics, Slim, and Stretch specialize in Theoretical Physics, (all four have minors in Astronomy and Mechanics). Dance majored in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in music theory. He knows a little quantum/theoretical physics since he helped Gastor, but it isn't his strong suit or his passion. Lust specialized in biology. He is a licensed chiropractor and healer, with a little bit of mechanical engineering and astrophysics. He helped Gastor too (but more because he was interning than because it was his thing). So while Lust can follow along (kinda) with the conversation, he doesn't have anything much to contribute to the whole affair other than ideas. He is still a scientist though, so what he does contribute will be meaningful in its own way.
> 
> ~ In Underlust, everyone with a corporeal body is infused with LUST, a component of the human soul (much like DETERMINATION) that had been isolated, extracted, and distributed. Given the nature of it, my head canon is that if it isn't sated to a degree, a monster's body will begin to break down (and you know, become like an amalgamate). So yeah... its not just fun and games for Lust!Sans. It's Fuck-or-Be-Fucked.
> 
> ~ In 'Dancetale' everything is basically done through dance. But to me, that means music is a fundamental part of their life. So I get the idea that Sans probably plays a lot of instruments. Since he doesn't dance much himself anymore (for reasons), he plays for his brother (and Toriel) instead. Both DT!Toriel and DT!Papyrus are types with dances that go along to string instrument music, so it only makes sense that Sans would have himself learn the guitar for them. There is a link in the story to a song that inspired this idea.


	4. Tacos and Blueberrys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess where they go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like writing Lust too much... I need to give the others some love...

By the time Dance came back, his arms filled with broken toasters and other metal objects, Red and Slim had finished the prototype design (and their argument). Dance put the materials down in the corner by the sticky note sock.

Lust cleared his throat. "I want to try it."

Dance raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"

"I want to try a Shortcut."

"I've been taking shortcuts. They just send you to other places here in this universe." Dance stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"No," Lust said, "I want to try doing it all at once, all of us. Like when this happened."

Stretch looked at Lust. "You serious?"

"Why not?" Lust hooked his thumbs on his pockets.

"How 'bout cuz we got no fuckin' idea what'll happen?!" Red snapped.

"Isn't that all the more reason to try? Science is all about testing theories, isn't it?" Lust looked at them with a sly grin.

Comic thought about it. "It might be a good way to test the feasibility of our idea..."

Slim leaned back. "Trying without a destination in mind is pointless. How would we aim?"

Stretch sighed. "If we all are touching, but only one of us has a destination in mind, won't the shortcut default to that? We'll all get pulled there, won't we?"

"Nice theory, but it still has risks..." Red seemed to be chewing on the idea, less dismissive than before.

Dance shifted to the left. "Sounds like it's worth a shot. So who takes the lead?"

"It would be pointless if I did it," Comic said, shrugging. "How about Red? He's the most skeptical."

"Fuck no," Red said a little too quickly. Stretch didn't like the look that crossed his face when the idea was presented.

Comic didn't press the matter. "Dance?"

Dance shrugged. "Nah. What about Stretch? Seems to me he is the one who misses home the most."

Comic looked at Stretch. "You up for it?"

Stretch sighed. He couldn't deny he wanted to check on his brother. "Sure..." he held out one hand to Comic. "We gotta be touching right?" Comic took his hand, then offered his other to Dance. Dance gripped Comic and then Lust. Lust in turn gripped Slim, who in turn took Red's hand. Stretch took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and thought strongly of home. His home. "On three. One. Two. Three." It was harder to do without being able to ground himself with a finger snap, but he heard the crack in his ears and felt the world shift. The crack was louder than usual, just like that time before. That was a good sign.

* * *

Soon enough, they felt the world stop shifting. Stretch didn't even have to open his eyes to know he was home. He could smell the burnt taco meat that meant his brother was cooking. He heard the dull hypnotic music that meant Napstabot was on TV. He felt the familiarity of the air and knew, in his soul, he was home.

"Th' fuck is that smell?!" Red blurted, looking around. "Smells like someone set Doggo on fire..."

"No it doesn't," Slim argued, head tilted to one side, "Doggo on fire has a hint of tobacco. This is more like... Burnt Temmie..."

"Complete with Temmie Flakes..!" Red snickered.

"C'mon guys," Dance sighed, "Besides being morbid, thats just plane rude."

"Are we wrong?" Slim asked.

"W-well...." Dance looked like he was about to give an answer when-

"PAPYRUS?!" Came a voice from the kitchen. A small skeleton in a blue scarf came out of the kitchen. "PAPY!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I LOOKED ALL OVER FOR-" He stopped, seeing all the people in the livingroom. Then he turned and glared. "PAPY!!!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU _TELL_ ME YOU WERE BRINGING GUESTS OVER?!?!?!"

Stretch put his hands in his pocket. "Sorry, bro. I woulda called, but my phone didn't work..."

"IT'S OKAY, PAPY. I FORGIVE YOU. JUST DON'T WORRY ME SO MUCH NEXT TIME, OKAY?"

"Okay."

Slim looked at Stretch's brother with a knowing smirk. "Cute..."

Red couldn't take it anymore. "Oh my god..! It's a fricken' blueberry..! I can't breath..!" He doubled over laughing.

Stretch's brother looked at the group, then at Stretch. "WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE, ANYWAY..." he asked slowly.

"Oh, yeah, introductions." Stretch put his arm around his little brother and smiled. "Guys, this is my brother, Sans. Sans, this is Comic, Dance, Lust, Slim, and, uh," Stretch paused when he went to indicate Red, who was laughing so hard he had started to choke, "...that one's Red..."

'Sans' grinned. "IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU!"

Lust came closer, smiling in a way Stretch didn't like. "It's nice to meet you too. Actually..." Putting an arm over the other skeleton's shoulder, Lust pulled him away from Stretch and closer to himself. "I think the name 'Blueberry' suits you. You look like something sweet I wanna taste..." He licked his teeth with a conjured tongue seductively, eyelights glimmering like little hearts.

Stretch bristled. 'Blueberry' smiled nervously. "UH, THANKS, I THINK..? IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND... BUT, UH," he swallowed, a little flustered. "IS IT OKAY IF WE KEEP A LITTLE MORE DISTANCE?"

Lust grinned. "Whatever you're comfortable with, sweetie..." Winking, Lust pulled back and away to stand at arms length.

Stretch put on a tense smile. "One moment, bro..." He grabbed Lust and dragged him into the kitchen. "Don't you ever do that, or anything else, to my bro again. Understand?" Stretch hissed.

Lust blinked at him, surprised. He had never seen Stretch get that emotional about anything. "I was only being friendly..."

"Your idea of 'friendly' is my idea of 'sexual harassment'! Keep it to yourself!"

Lust sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, hands to myself." He hooked his thumbs into his pockets.

Stretch looked at him a moment, then let him go. "As long as we have an understanding..."

Meanwhile, Dance had made himself comfortable on the couch with Comic, both of them asleep.

Red had finally gotten himself under control. Blueberry had zoomed in on him, grinning at him excitedly. "Whats yer problem? Never seen a skeleton before?" Red asked, stuffing his hands in his jacket.

"YOU LOOK _REALLY_ STRONG..." Blueberry said with a level of awe that took Red aback.

Red, unsure how to respond to genuine compliments, shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah, I guess..." Slim snickered. Red shot him a dirty look.

"WANNA SPAR WITH ME?!" Blueberry asked excitedly.

Red blinked. "Sp-spar?" Blueberry nodded, almost jumping up and down. Red huffed, shaking his head. "Sorry kid, I don't play."

"I'M NOT A KID! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS!!" Blueberry said, posing proudly. Red and Slim stared at him a moment, then broke down laughing. Blueberry bristled. "WHATS SO FUNNY?!"

Stretch came out with Lust just in time to see Slim fall over.

Lust went and sat on the arm of the couch, folding his hands on his lap, legs crossed. He had a feeling he wanted the best seat in the house for what came next.

Blueberry sighed. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU THINK IT'S SO FUNNY. I AM VERY GREAT, YOU KNOW. AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A PLAY-FIGHT. I WANT TO SPAR WITH YOU. SPARING IS A GREAT WAY TO GET TO KNOW SOMEONE, YOU KNOW!"

Stretch put his hand on Blueberry's shoulder. "I don't think thats a good idea, bro."

"WHY NOT?"

Stretch paused. "Well, maybe they're tired. We did travel a long way..."

Blueberry's eye lights got big. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!?!?!?! I'LL GO MAKE SOME TACOS FOR- _OH MY GOODNESS MY TACOS!!!!!!_ I FORGOT!" Blueberry ran back into the kitchen.

Stretch sighed in relief. "Thank you..." he said, looking at Red.

"For what? Th' pipsqueak ain't worth th' effort," Red huffed.

Slim smirked. "Yeah, sure, thats it..."

Red turned on him. "I'll go with you anytime, princess..!"

"Guys, guys, make love, not war!" Lust shifted, feeling at ease despite the hints of tension coming from across the room.

"Yeah, I'll make LOVE... I'll make plenty o' LOVE..." Red stuffed his claws into his pockets again, putting his back to the wall.

Blueberry came out balancing a large plate of tacos, the smell of burnt meat and something else filling the air. He handed them out to Stretch, Red, Slim, and Lust, before putting the plate next to Dance on the couch. He then ran upstairs and came back down with a few blankets which he threw other the two sleeping skeletons.

Lust sniffed the taco. It smelled less than savory, and didn't look much better, but he bit into it anyway. Instantly his mouth was filled with the taste of scorched meat and glitter. It took all of Lust's willpower to hold down his gag reflex (and that was saying something, all things considered). He swallowed as quickly as he could, probing the back of his teeth with his conjured tongue to scrape away the bits that stuck to him. Opening his eyes which had been squeezed shut without his realizing, he looked at the others.

Stretch was halfway through with his taco, a look of acceptance on his face. This was the norm for him, and he could deal with it. Red had eaten two already and was midway through scarfing down a third. Slim had eaten two, and had reached for a third when Red stole it. Those two were used to eating bad food -- it was all about survival for them, and survival meant eating. Lust shuddered, then offered Slim his unfinished taco. Slim wolfed it down without comment.

Blueberry practically glowed with pride. "I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT!!"

Red made a face. 'Like' wasn't the right word. Slim nodded in a fashion that Lust thought was more supplicating than agreement. Stretch shrugged. "You're the best, bro. You know that."

"INDEED I DO!" Blueberry puffed up proudly. "SO, NOW THAT YOU'VE EATEN..." he clasped his hands together, "WILL YOU SPAR WITH ME??"

Stretch went rigid. He had hopped the matter would have been dropped. Red leered at Blueberry, but pointedly chose to ignore him. Faced with an adversary who showed no murderous intent, Red was surprised to find he had no desire to engage. He chalked it up to laziness, laying back against the wall to get comfortable.

Blueberry looked almost crestfallen. Slim sighed. "Will I be acceptable?" he asked, flicking a stray crumb into his mouth.

Blueberry gasped. "WOULD YOU?"

Slim nodded. Stretch grit his teeth. He didn't know what Slim was playing at, but he didn't like it.

Blueberry jumped up, squealing in glee. "YIPPEE! I KNOW _JUST_ THE PLACE TO DO IT, TOO! FOLLOW ME!" He ran out the door. Slim pointedly followed, at a slower pace, but still keeping up.

Stretch walked beside him, nervous. "What is this about? You're not planning on-"

"I'm only doing what the little guy wants, aren't I?" Slim whispered. "Don't worry. I won't Dust him. I'm better trained than that..." Slim chuckled. Stretch didn't like the implication of that particular turn of phrase.

Red, out of curiosity, trailed behind.

Blueberry lead them to a snowy hillside. Bounding over to stand in the open space, he turned and grinned, his blue scarf billowing behind him. "MWEH HEH HEH! THIS IS GOING TO BE _SO MUCH FUN_!!!!!!"

Slim shrugged, reaching into his pocket and realizing again he was out of cigarettes. "Whatever you say, lil guy..."

Blueberry took a stance, grinning eagerly. "YOU CAN GO FIRST, IF YOU WANT!"

Slim shook his head. "Nah, you go ahead..."

Red leaned against a tree. "This is already stupid..."

Stretch braced himself against another tree. "So why did you come?"

Red snorted. "I had hoped t' see Slim in action. But looks like he ain't gonna show me anythin' worth seein'"

"I'd hope not..." Stretch said under his breath, turning back to the match.

Blueberry summoned a long row of bones, sending them flying in Slim's direction. Slim leaned a little to the left, keeping himself out of reach. "YOU'RE _GOOD_..!" Blueberry gasped in awe. He sent two bones at once, coming toward Slim from either side. Slim leaned backward, letting the bones crash into each other inches from his face. The wind made from the impact jostled his jacket, making ripples in the fur lining of his hood. He didn't flinch. Blueberry got more excited. He began throwing more intricate patterns of bones, double rows, criss-crossing columns, blue bones and red bones and white bones getting faster and faster. Slim always kept just out of reach, his motions never more than absolutely necessary.

Stretch looked at the footprints in the snow: Slim had never gone beyond a three foot radius of his initial position. Red noticed it too, and snickered. "Like a dog tethered in place, am I right?" Stretch felt his guts clench. He didn't like that analogy.

After a few more attacks, Blueberry started to sweat. His attacks got slower, his motions less enthusiastic. Then, gasping for breath, Blueberry sank into the snow. "SO- UH- HOW ABOUT WE CALL IT A- A DRAW?" He looked up, smiling.

Slim smiled back. "Whatever you want, lil guy..." Blueberry's grin widened. Stretch let out a breath he had been holding. Red twitched, disappointed. As Slim trudged back passed the onlookers, he paused and grinned smugly at them. "And that's how you handle children," he said, before continuing back towards the house.

Red leered. "Smug bastard..."

Blueberry made his way over to Stretch. "DID YOU SEE THAT! THAT GUY DIDN'T GET HIT _ONCE_!!!!"

Stretch picked him up, brushing snow off his head. "I think you did great too, bro."

"OF COURSE! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS AFTER ALL!!!" Blueberry looked at Red. "YOU _SURE_ YOU DON'T WANNA SPAR WITH ME?"

"Now less than ever..." Red spat, turning away. "Fuckin' cotton candy bastard," he muttered as he walked back, "I think I'm gettin' a fuckin' cavity..."

Blueberry shrugged as Stretch put him down. "I GUESS HE'S INTIMIDATED BY MY GREATNESS..." Stretch smiled. Taking Blueberry's hand, he walked through the snow with his brother.

* * *

Lust watched Napstabot on TV, a thoughtful smile on his face. He couldn't help but be reminded of home, where his brother was likely too busy swooning over his paramour to have noticed Lust's absence. It wasn't like Lust had never disappeared before -- he spent countless nights with one monster or another, sometimes forgetting to let Papyrus know where he was until the morning after.

The robot on TV ended his number, posing dramatically. He almost instantly launched into another song. The beat what hot and heavy and had echoes of something Lust had heard in Grillby's club last week. He had done a fantastic job pole dancing that night. He'd been rewarded for his accomplishment handsomely, too. It had been a fun night.

A shot of heat raced up Lust's spine, making him shake. He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he pushed the feeling back. This was neither the time nor the place. There wasn't anyone willing. He just had to endure. It was only the second day. He was fine. He just wished he could sleep. Sleep would be a release. But his body wouldn't let him.

Dance started to bob unconsciously to the music in his sleep. The motion brought Comic to wakefulness. He sat up a little straighter, blinking.

"You missed lunch," Lust said.

"Was it good?" Comic asked, looking around.

"It was sparkly..." was all Lust could think to say.

Comic scratched his head, not getting it. "Where are-?"

"Sweet little Blueberry wanted to spar." Comic raised an eyebrow ridge at 'Blueberry'. Lust shrugged. "Slim decided to indulge him. The other two went to watch, I think..."

Comic looked back at the TV. "I guess our experiment was successful..."

"Yup," Lust smiled. "Stretch has an adorable little brother. I'd eat him up in seconds, given the opportunity!"

"Is that why you named him 'Blueberry'?"

"No, Red named him. Had you stayed awake more than 5 minutes you would have seen it, sweetie..." Lust teased.

Comic shrugged. "What can I say. I was _bone_ tired."

Lust grinned. Climbing up on the couch, he sat on Dance's other side. The slight change in balance and cushion angle, coupled with Dance's motions, made Dance fall to the side, his head landing in Lust's lap. Lust grinned down at him, his phalanges running absentmindedly in smooth deft patterns over Dance's skull. Dance's body relaxed even further, almost nuzzling into the touch.

Comic watched, curious. "What are you doing..?"

"Hmm?" Lust looked away from the TV to face Comic. Comic pointed down at his lap, where his hand was still working. Lust looked down. He laughed softly. "Force of habit I suppose... My bro likes when I do this after a long day at work..."

Comic looked down, watching the delicate motions. "Heh... looks like you know what you're doing..."

Lust smiled. "You want me to?"

Comic froze. "What?"

"Do you want me to give you a once over?" Lust looked at him.

Comic shifted. "I- I'm not sure."

Lust realized the confusion and giggled. "I meant a massage. You know, to get the stress out?"

Comic let out a breath. "Oh. Uh... I don't have to get naked do I?"

"Only if you want to, sweetie. The jacket has to go, though. The material is too thick to work through." Lust carefully slid out from under Dance, laying him down on the couch. He then sat on the floor in front of the TV and patted the carpet in front of him. "C'mon. You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Comic hesitated a moment, but then got down. He carefully pulled his jacket off and sat in front of Lust. 

Lust moved slowly but confidently. He grabbed Comic's head and guided him into a laying position face up. He then pulled his arm into his lap and gently twisted the bones until they were aligned properly. Lust ran his hand along Comic's humerus, checking to make sure it was at the correct angle and that there were no fractures. Comic watched as Lust thumbed his deltoid tuberosity with a tenderness that made Comic shiver. Lust worked down, his thumb coming to rest on the capitulum of his humerus. Lust bend the arm at the elbow joint, testing to make sure there were no complications, before laying the arm back down on his lap and running his fingers along the innermost ridge of Comic's radius, the heel of his hand running parallel on the outer ridge. Comic felt magical tension drain away, closing his eyes with a sigh. Lust smiled, repeating the motion a few more times before moving over to the ulna. Lust couldn't help but feel a rush of pride, watching the tension and worry fade from Comic's body. Lust moved down to align and stretch Comic's phalanges, cracking the joints and dispelling the tension there. Comic was almost back asleep when Lust carefully laid his arm down on the floor and switched sides. He repeated the attentions on Comics other arm, then moved so he was sitting in front of Comic's skull.

Comic opened his eyes with mild surprise when he felt Lust start to realign his scapula and clavicle. Lust stroked the bones slowly, easing them back into place. His hands worked inward until they were at the cervical vertebrae. Lust carefully prodded the vertebrae, being more gentle than before with the tender and sensitive area, careful not bear down too hard. He then put his hands on either side of Comic's zygomatic arch, and turned his head one way, then another. He proceeded to make small circular motions on his zygomatic, working in towards and into his maxilla, caressing the thin layer of cartilage that made up his face.

Comic closed his eye sockets, purring contentedly. He hadn't felt this good in he couldn't remember how long. Lust grinned. After making sure Comic was fully relaxed, he put Comic's head back down on the carpet and sat next to his legs. Gripping his pelvis carefully, Lust pulled, straightening out Comic's spine, releasing excess tension. Comic let out a noise of surprise (he hadn't been expecting it). Lust chuckled. He then went on to realign Comic's legs, working down with the same care he had shown to the arms.

Lust was getting the tension from Comic's ankle, turning it gently to each side, when the others came through the door. Slim stopped, not certain what he was seeing. "What the h-?!"

Lust rolled his eye lights. "Its called a physical therapy. Geeze..." There was a lilt of humor in his voice as he put Comic's leg down. "I'm just doing routine maintenance. Nothing special."

"Sure felt special..." Comic purred, sitting up. He rolled his neck, pulling his jacket back on.

"I'd bet that's because you've never had it before. You need to take better care of yourself! No wonder you're so tired all the time!" Lust knew he was being hypocritical -- he never took much care for himself, either. But his point still stood.

Red looked them over with an unreadable expression. Lust winked at him. "You want a massage too, tough guy?" Red blanched, putting his back to the wall. Lust shrugged.

Stretch came in with Blueberry. "Who doesn't want what now?"

"Apparently Lust is handing out massages..." Slim said.

Blueberry perked up. "YOU GIVE MASSAGES?!?! I'VE NEVER HAD ONE BEFORE!! CAN I HAVE ONE??"

Lust sat back on the floor, smiling. "Of course you can."

Before Stretch could object, Blueberry was sitting on the floor in front of Lust, grinning. Lust turned him so he was at his back, and started by gripping his skull and pulling it this way and that, stretching out Blueberry's spine. Blueberry's eyes went wide, his grin replaced with a look of shock. When Lust let go, he rolled his shoulders. "THAT WAS... THAT FELT GOOD..."

"Of course. I'm very good at what I do." Lust leaned back, watching him.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you..." Dance mumbled, sitting up from his nap.

"No, you don't understand, it was AMAZING..!" Comic protested. "I haven't felt this refreshed since- since- uh, never!"

Stretch pulled back, looking his little brother over. Since nothing unsavory had happened and Blueberry was happy, Stretch couldn't really complain. He rubbed his head. Perhaps he was just being overprotective.

Blueberry dashed over and gripped Stretch by the wrist, pulling him over to Lust. "DO MY BROTHER NEXT!"

Lust smiled. Stretch pulled back. They stared at each other. Blueberry either couldn't read the atmosphere, or was too excited to care, because he gently but firmly pulled Stretch down to Lust's level.

Stretch put his hand in a place Blueberry couldn't see it (but Lust could), and, taking a chance that this was another universal consistency, signed { _No funny business._ }

Lust smiled and sighed back { _Okay._ } He then gently put his hands on Stretch's skull and pulled him down so he was laying with his head in Lust's lap. Lust made the circular motions along his coronal suture, sliding down towards his sphenoid, pleased that his experience with his own 'Papyrus' had left him with insight as to where tension gathered the most. With swift movements, Lust worked the cartilage stretched over the temporal bone. It fought to keep its tension, but soon Lust had it giving in to his attentions. Stretch's eye lights rolled back into his head -- he had had no idea how much stress he had been carrying there. Lust smiled knowingly, and started working on his mandible, stroking the prominent jawline, pulling gently on the thin cartilage.

Stretch dimly heard a soft noise escape into the air. Then Red's laughter. "I KNEW HE'D LIKE IT!" Blueberry said proudly.

Stretch bristled. That noise had been _him_ \- _he had let out a moan_! He felt his face flush and sat up, pulling away from Lust. "That's- that's enough..." He pulled his hood up to try and hide. Red cackled more.

"I'm glad you were pleased with my efforts," Lust sighed, biting back a chuckle.

Slim looked at Lust thoughtfully. Red might not take Lust seriously, but Slim could see that Lust was a dangerous person to cross. With knowledge of the body and skill to effectively manipulate it, like Lust just displayed, a person could render even a strong opponent harmless and ineffectual. Slim decided that Lust was someone he didn't want to rub the wrong way.

Dance snickered. "C'mon. It can't be that great to have some weirdo touch you all over..."

"You seemed to like it well enough," Comic pointed out, grinning.

"When did-"

"While you were sleeping. He pet you like a dog and you practically kicked you leg." Comic sat back on the couch, his grin only getting wider as he watched the look on Dance's face.

"He- but- I-" Dance wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"Well, if I overstepped my bounds..." Lust stood up, stretching his arm over his head, "Maybe next time, don't roll onto my lap?" Dance pulled his own hood up to hide.

Blueberry clapped his hands. "WHAT SHOULD WE DO NEXT?" He'd never had so many guests before.

"How about a movie, bro?" Stretch asked, starting to calm down.

"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!! I'LL GO FIND ONE!" With that, Blueberry dashed upstairs.

* * *

The rest of the evening went without incident. Red and Slim kept close to the door, backs to the wall on either side of it. Blueberry sat on the floor, in Stretch's lap, while Stretch nodded on and off. Dance, Comic, and Lust were given the couch. Comic sat in the middle. Lust occasionally made suggestive faces at Dance over Comic's head. Dance changed colors and looked away. Comic fell asleep before the end of the first movie, and didn't wake up again until the third started. Dance stayed awake through the first movie, but fell asleep as the second came on. Red fell asleep half way through the first movie; although nobody could tell, since he fell asleep standing upright, until a small bit of drool creeped between his teeth and dripped halfway down his mandible. Slim had enough time to log this small bit of information about Red away before he too began to drift.

By the end of the third movie, the only ones away were Blueberry and Lust. Blueberry carefully crawled out of his brother's lap and turned off the TV. He made a 'shh' motion to Lust, and started draping blankets over his guests. Lust considered lowering Red and Slim onto the floor, but thought better of it. Before Blueberry could approach them, Lust took him by the shoulder and pointed to Stretch. Then Lust went over and picked Stretch up by standing behind him and putting his arms under Stretch's. Blueberry got the idea, and grabbed Stretch's feet. Together, they hauled Stretch up the stairs and to his bedroom. Blueberry tucked him into his messy unmade bed, and closed the door softly. "THANKS FOR THE HELP, UH-"

"Just call me Lust, sweetie."

"LUST? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! THE MAGNIFICENT SANS IS GREAT AT EVERYTHING, BUT IS ALSO CONVENIENTLY COMPACT. MOVING LARGE OBJECTS LIKE BRO IS NOT EASY..." Blueberry scratched his head. "BUT THAT DOESN'T' MEAN I CAN'T DO IT!"

"I understand, no need to explain." Lust looked Blueberry up and down. He was so cute and cheerful and rather good looking and- Lust bristled, that heat creeping back up his spine. He pushed it down again.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Blueberry asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm just tired..."

"WELL, THE COUCH IS OCCUPIED, SO... WHY DON'T YOU SLEEP WITH ME?" Blueberry indicated his room down the hall. "IT'LL BE FUN!!"

"Oh, I can imagine..." Lust said to himself. But he shook his head, smiling. "No, that's alright. I'll be fine."

Blueberry's face fell. "WELL... IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME." He turned to go to bed himself. "GOOD NIGHT FRIEND! SLEEP WELL!" He closed his door, leaving Lust alone in the hall.

Lust sighed, going back downstairs. "Nice thought..." He went outside, to find relief in the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADCANON EXPLAINATION
> 
> ~ Don't ask how Slim knows what "Burnt Temmie" smells like
> 
> ~ Considering that these are all skeletons, they make quite a few distinctive expressions. Bone isn't exactly malleable, so my thought is that some of the bone (especially on the face, ribs, and joints) are covered in a thin layer of cartilage). It makes sense -- having some cartilage would help keep their own bones from scraping each other and cushion impacts. The 'tension' that builds up is excess magic energy (which acts as the 'muscle' for their bodies).
> 
> ~ Slim is used to indulging others whims. Its practically instinctive at this point.


	5. The Sound of Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World hopping, fluff, and construction. Puns too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry - I am so bad at writing for the edge lords! I feel so bad but I just can't seem to get a grip on them!

Stretch woke up the next morning, surprised to find himself in his room. He got up, stretching his arms over his head, the opened the door. Looking over the railing, he could see everyone was downstairs except Blueberry. Comic saw him from his spot on the couch, and waved. Dance saw the motion and looked up, yawning.

"Where's bro?" Stretch asked, coming down the stairs lazily.

"Patrol," Dance responded.

"Business before pleasure, fellas," Lust pointed out, leaning against the end of the couch. He had the skeletal equivalent of bags under his eyes. "Our experiment was a success. So we can start working from there, right?"

Stretch froze. Thats right. The goal wasn't necessarily to get HIM home, it was to get them ALL home. He couldn't be selfish. With a sigh, he sauntered over to the drawer and pulled out a post-it note and a pen. He quickly scribbled out a note for his brother, stuck it to the TV, and turned back around. "Let's go then..."

Red raised an eyebrow ridge. "Ya serious?"

Stretch smiled. "We got into this together, didn't we? It would be pretty unfair if I didn't help fix it..." He reached his hand out for Comic. "Your turn to drive again, I think."

Comic smiled. The group made a chain of interlocked hands. Comic took a deep breath and thought strongly of home. His home. His home where his brother made horrible pasta. The brother that was gone. He shook his head. Just think of home. "Ok... One... Two... Three..." On queue, he heard the crack in his ears and felt the world shift. The crack was louder than usual. At least he was doing something right.

* * *

Comic fell back into his own crappy couch. Looking up at the pictures on the wall over his head, he sighed in relief. He was home, for whatever that was worth.

Stretch picked up the blueprints that were still left on the floor and looked them over. "I guess we might as well start..." Dance was two steps ahead, already taking apart the devices he had previously acquired, putting the useful parts in a separate pile from the scrap. Lust made himself useful moving the scrap out of Dance's way when it got to be too much, and buffing out the bits of rust from the useful parts. Slim took the blueprints from Stretch, putting them back on the floor so he and Red could continue to fine tune the design, now making notes on what parts were needed where.

Stretch stood back, not wanted to put too many cooks in the kitchen (as the saying went). Comic tapped him on the arm. "Wanna help me get the lab ready?" Stretch nodded, following Comic outside and around the back of the house. With the use of a silver key, Comic opened the door leading down to the basement Lab. Stretch looked it over, whistling. It was barren except for some kind of machine under a dirty sheet, a single blueprint written in strange symbols (which Stretch was all too familiar with), and four drawers. Stretch had a suspicion he knew what was in those drawers.

_a photo album, with a card sticking out of the back flap of the binder - a poorly drawn image of three smiling people, the words " **DON'T FORGET** " scrawled almost desperately in the corner_

Comic ran his hand over the blueprint with a thoughtful expression, before rolling it up carefully and sliding it into a drawer occupied by an old badge. He opened up a second drawer and pulled out a few tools covered in a thin layer of dust. Comic smiled fondly as he laid them out on the table neatly, brushing the dust away.

Stretch slid the distal phalanx of his index finger along the wall. "This place is clean... except for the dust."

Comic shrugged. "Well, ya looked like you needed something to do."

"I'll have something to do when the actual building starts..."

Comic leaned on the table. "Me too, I suppose..."

"We could always go look for more parts..." Stretch suggested.

Comic shrugged. "Better than nothing..."

One after the other, the two skeletons took shortcuts to the dump.

* * *

It wasn't long before Dance had salvaged, sorted, and cleaned (with Lust's help) every useful piece he could. Considering he had literally been picking through garbage, he was rather pleased with the result: nuts; bolts; a few bits of flat sheet metal; nails; some plastic tubing; a few scraps of copper wire; an old tire that could be ripped and cut into plenty or rubber strips; even an old fishbowl that was almost completely intact except for a jagged chip on the lip of the bowl. Dance couldn't have asked for a better haul.

Lust sat back, having finally gotten the last of the gunk from the threads of a stubborn screw. His shoulders ached from being hunched over. He's just glad he hadn't had to use his bare fingers to get the crud off -- Dance had also found old yarn and toothpicks that worked great for cleaning. It was still tiring work, none the less.

Dance took the screw from Lust and examined it. Smiling, he put it in a pile of other similar screws (a small pile). "You're good at this."

Lust smiled dully. "I've had plenty of practice."

Red sat up, cracking his neck to one side. "Don't look so smug, you two. That ain't nearly enough t' get this piece o' shit put together."

"It's a start, at least..." Slim countered, his hands creeping back into his pocket searchingly.

Dance looked back at the blueprints. He hated to admit it, but Red was right. With what little they had here, they would be lucky to get the base built, never mind the cooling system and surge protector.

Comic and Stretch popped into the livingroom, holding a broken car engine between them. They sat the thing down and slid to the floor panting (it had been heavy). Dance's eyes almost sparkled looking at it. He jumped over and began his examination with a passion. Stretch felt like that look was more than enough reward for their efforts. Dance giddily ripped the thing down to its most fundamental pieces. He was pleased to find at least one of the spark plugs was still salvageable. With a good cleaning, most of the other parts could be put to use.

Red clicked his teeth. "Even with that, it won't be enough. Face it, even if th' theory is sound, th' execution's near impossible."

"Sounds to me like ya just don't wanna try." Slim drawled, a knowing look on his face. "I wonder why that is..?"

"FUCK YOU!" Red snapped, brandishing his left claw. "I'm gettin' real sick o' yer shit..!"

"Calm down, guys..." Lust moved to get between them, not wanting a real FIGHT to start. He had a feeling it wouldn't end well.

Comic knew Red had a point. Then he got an idea. "We'll just go scavenge elsewhere..!"

Stretch looked at him, not following at first. Then it clicked. "You mean-?"

"Why not? We've proven that we can do it. There's no reason we can't go, find supplies, and bring them back!"

Dance caught on with a start. "You mean in other universes..!"

"Exactly," Comic said, standing up. "We have stable access to 5 other universes. That's 6 times the materials."

"We can go back to my place first." Stretch offered.

Comic gripped Dance and Stretch by the hand. Stretch reached over and grabbed onto Slim, who had been listening. He had expected someone would make the suggestion. The look on Red's face told Slim that Red didn't like the plan any more than he did. But they both played along, regardless, holding onto Lust.

Stretch closed his eyes, thinking once again of home. "One... Two... Three..." On queue, he heard the crack in his ears and felt the world shift. The crack was louder than usual. They were getting good at this.

* * *

The results were as to be expected: toasters; blenders; a few stray nuts and bolts; Red found a sock with a hole in it that he discretely stuffed into his coat to add to his collection later; Lust found a dirty magazine that he he hid in the inner pocket of his vest; Comic found a ratty mattress that he slept on for 20 minutes before pulling all the springs out of it. Dance was rather pleased with the amount of rubber and copper too. Coming back to Comic's house, nobody could complain about the haul.

"So, where do we go next?" Comic asked, falling back onto the couch.

"That's the question," Stretch added, sitting next to him.

"I think it can wait until morning... It's already too dark to hunt properly..." Dance rolled his shoulders, heading up to the bed he had been offered the night before.

"See you in the morning, then." Comic snapped his fingers, going to sleep in his room.

Slim shrugged, taking a shortcut into the shed. Red followed after him. Stretch laid himself on the couch, passing out in moments. Lust leaned back against the side of the couch, his body aching for sleep (and something else). He didn't have the energy to go out into the snow, so he pushed himself to his feet and followed after Dance. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next morning, everyone gathered back in the livingroom, hand in hand.

"So whose driving?" Stretch asked.

"If nobody minds, how about my place?" Dance said.

"Sounds like a plan," Comic agreed.

Red twitched. "Let's get this over with..."

Another countdown (this time led by Dance).

Another loud crack.

* * *

Dance took a deep breath, feeling the familiarity of home. He was brought of out his revery by a loud shout.

"SANS!"

Dance turned, just in time to be pulled into a full body hug by his brother, who fell to his knees, shaking. The others pulled away, giving the two brothers space.

This 'Papyrus' was in a button down white shirt, the two topmost buttons undone, tucked into black pants. The ensemble was accented with a red sash around his waist. His cloths looked rumpled, like he hadn't changed out of them in too long.

"SANS! SANS, OH SANS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" 'Papyrus' was almost sobbing. "IT'S BEEN FIVE DAYS! _FIVE DAYS!!!!_ YOU DIDN'T CALL, YOU DIDN'T LEAVE A NOTE, I WOKE UP AND FOUND YOU MISSING!!!!"

Dance almost teared up, hearing the grief in his brother's voice. He put his arms around him, patting his back soothingly. "It's alright. I'm alright. Just got a little lost, is all..." He grinned. "It's _sonata_ bit deal..!"

'Papyrus' pulled back, gripping Dance by his humeri, and gently shook him. "A _LITTLE_ LOST? 20 MINUTES IS A _LITTLE_ LOST!!! FIVE DAYS IS NOT A _LITTLE_ LOST!!!! AND IT IS A VERY BIG D-" He stopped. And his faced changed color. "SANS!!! THIS IS NO TIME FOR PUNS!!"

Comic and Lust started giggling in the back, Stretch covered his mouth. Slim bit one of his knuckles to fight back against his own fits of laughter. Red hid his face by pulling his hood up, his body shaking.

Dance smiled. "Wow, you're pretty _sharp_ today, aren't ya?"

"SANS!!"

" _Waltz_ wrong? _Aria_ having trouble keeping up?"

"SANS!!!"

"C'mon bro, I know you can _duet_ if you try! _Chorus_ you'll never be as good at it as me!"

"GODDAMN IT SANS!!!!"

"Language! You need to get a hold of your _tempo_! I raised you to _conduct_ yourself better, and you _note_ that!"

"NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!!!!!!!!"

At this point, everyone was laughing except 'Papyrus', who was screaming in frustration, and Red, who had backed up against the wall as much as he could, still shaking with heavily repressed laughter. Dance grinned up at his brother, who was back on his feet. "You're~~~ smiling~~~~!"

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" 'Papyrus' took a deep breath. Then he realized there were other people in the room. "SANS, WHO ARE-" He stopped. He looked at the group. "SANS WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"I didn't do anything, bro!"

"THERE ARE CLONES IN OUR LIVINGROOM!!!"

"They aren't clones..."

"YOU SAID YOU STOPPED TRYING TO BUILD THAT CLONING MACHINE!!!"

"I _did_ stop building it!"

"THEN WHY ARE THERE CLONES IN OUR LIVINGROOM?!?!?!"

"They are not clones, they are from alternate universes."

'Papyrus' stopped. "OH..." He looked back at Dance. "HOW..?"

Dance shrugged. "I _told_ you I'd gotten lost..."

"YOU GOT LOST IN _ANOTHER DIMENSION_?!?!?!?!?!?!"

"Uh... Kinda..?"

"SANS!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

It took a few minutes to calm 'Papyrus' down enough to explain to him what had happened. He sat on the couch, running his hand over the back of his skull. "WELL... AS LONG AS YOU'RE ALRIGHT... I CAN'T STAY MAD..." He looked up and smiled. "THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR TAKING CARE OF MY BROTHER. I KNOW HE'S LAZY, BUT PLEASE BEAR WITH HIM UNTIL THIS IS ALL OVER."

Comic shrugged. "No problem..." Stretch grinned. Red snorted. Slim looked unfazed.

Lust looked 'Papyrus' up and down. "Well, aren't you suave..." he purred, coming closer. "Actually, that's a good name for you. Can I call you that? Suave?"

'Papyrus,' or Suave, blinked. "I- I SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE LESS CONFUSING..."

Maneuvering so Dance was out of the way, Lust pushed Suave back so he was sitting straight up on the couch, and straddled him with the same motion. Putting his arms on each of Suave shoulders, he teased the back of Suave's cervical vertebrae with the head of his distal phalanges. "It takes two to tango, right? Hows about you and I do a little dance..?"

Suave blushed, starting to sweat, shivering slightly at the touch. "I- UH-" Lust grinned at him, leaning closer, his tongue poking around his teeth in a way that made Suave nervous. But Suave couldn't push him away. He could feel it, now that Lust was so close -- his body was burning. Despite the confidence he infused into every motion, the smug come-hither grin playing on his face, Lust was trembling; a desperation hidden in his eyes that Suave couldn't help but want to alleviate. 

Then Dance yanked Lust off of Suave violently, pulling him to the ground by the back of his vest. "Hands. Off." He said, his left eye glowing an eery cobalt blue. Lust sighed, holding his hands up in defeat. Dance held him for a moment, then let go. Lust stood up, fixing his vest. Stretch shook his head; he'd have thought Lust would have known better.

Comic cleared his throat. "Now that that's settled, we'll just get what we need and go. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Dance growled. He looked at Lust expectantly. Lust got the message - Dance wanted Lust to go first, so he knew there wouldn't be any funny business. Lust snapped his fingers and took the shortcut. Dance smiled at Suave. "I'll be back home before you know it. Hold down the fort for me 'till then."

The others followed quickly after, leaving Suave alone in the house.

* * *

By the end of the night, Dance was feeling much better. They had found nails and sheet metal and even a few clocks (which were filled with gears)! Putting them into a pile on the floor, Dance sat down to do the cleanup.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "THAT CAN WAIT. YOU NEED TO GET SOME SLEEP." Suave said softly.

Dance looked up at him, grinning. "You're probably right..."

Suave chuckled, picking Dance up into his arms and holding him to his chest carefully. Dance immediately felt relaxed, drifting off to sleep. Suave took him upstairs, putting him carefully on his bed, before gathering the spare things to distribute to the others. By the time he got back downstairs, Red and Slim had slunk off to the shed. Stretch was passed out on the couch with Comic. Suave smiled, putting blankets over them.

Lust had started cleaning the materials, working on a piece of sheet metal. He pointedly ignored the way his fingers seemed to meld against the metal, the way the edge bit into the bone like it was made of something softer. He forced himself to focus on how soothing the cool material was to the touch, on the rhythmic motions his hands made as he removed the rust and grime.

Lust put down the first piece, done with it, and had just picked up the second when Suave pulled it from his hands. "YOU NEED TO SLEEP TOO..."

Lust smiled. "I can't sleep, sweetie. I would be if I could..."

Suave put the metal piece down. "MAYBE I CAN HELP. SANS- I MEAN, MY BROTHER WOULD SING TO ME WHEN I COULDN'T SLEEP..."

Lust chuckled. "I don't think that'll help... But..." He gripped Suave's shirt, pulling him down onto Lust so he landed with his legs on either side of his body. As Suave braced his hands on each side of Lust's head so he didn't crush the smaller skeleton, Lust slid his arms around Suave's cervical vertebrae, looking up at him with longing. "There is something that might..."

Suave again felt the startling heat radiating from Lust's bones. Frozen by shock, he didn't move as Lust leaned up and tenderly licked along Suave's mandible, sending waves of something pleasant yet intense through Suave's soul. The sensation was electrifying. Suave scooped Lust into his arms, pulling them both upright. Lust let out a noise of delight. Suave slid one hand down to grip Lust's hip, and began to move across the floor with a grace and fluidity that took Lust aback.

Dipping Lust almost all the way back down to the floor, Suave grinned. "YOU ASKED ME TO DANCE BEFORE, DIDN'T YOU?"

Lust laughed, hearing the music that began to play out from Suave's soul. "As long as you don't mind being the pole, I'll dance all night..!"

Suave laughed at that. Pulling Lust back up, he spun them both around and led Lust in a passionate Latin dance. Lust kept pace with him easily, more limber than Suave anticipated. Suave responded by making the motions more complicated (and fun). Lust followed his lead with ease, making up with enthusiasm and agility what he lacked in actual experience.

As the dance came to an end, Suave dipped Lust back one last time. Lust grinned up at him, his eye lights a dazzling amethyst that had Suave entranced. So Suave didn't notice until it was too late when Lust gripped his skull on either side, pulled him down into the skeletal equivalent of a kiss: the softest brushing of their frontal bones against each other, the tips of their nasal arches sliding together. Lust's eyes closed as he enjoyed the intimate moment. Suave's eyes went wide, his face flushed and his body frozen.

After a long moment, Lust pulled away, letting go of Suave's head reluctantly, leaving behind the gentle brush of his fingertips. "That was fun. We should do it again sometime..." Suave stared at him. Lust giggled, extricating himself from Suave's arms. "I think you wore me out nicely. Thanks for that! Goodnight, handsome!" With a wink, Lust took a shortcut outside to cool off.

Suave was left speechless, a dull ache in his soul calling to fulfill a need it couldn't name. He took a deep breath, and made his way upstairs to get some sleep of his own, suddenly very tired.

When he was sure Suave had left, Lust came back in and knelt next to the couch, laying his head on the empty cushion. With the faintest whimper, he felt his consciousness crash, and the relief of sleep engulf him.

* * *

Slim sat down against the back wall of the shed, letting out a breath. He had been intensely uncomfortable witnessing that sentimental display from Suave. Dance's puns had been entertaining, at least.

He looked up briefly when Red came in, noticing the smug grin on his face. Red sat down across from Slim, reaching into his jacket pocket and producing a half full box of cigarettes. Slim's face lit up. Red smirked. He took one for himself before handing the box to Slim. Slim took it, ripping a stick out as fast as he could. Holding his left hand so that his thumb and index fingers were a few centimeters apart, he produced a small burst of red-hot magic, lighting the end of the stick. Taking a long drag, he let out a contented sigh.

"Fire magic, huh? That's new..." Red held up his own stick, lighting it on the end of Slims, and took a long puff of his own. "Holdin' out on us, aint ya?"

Slim stiffened. That had been a mistake. He looked at Red from the corner of his eye. "Ya tricked me..."

Red shrugged. "What? Me? Nah! 'M too dumb t' trick anyone."

"We both know that's bullshit." A smile tugged at Slim's face. "It's not all that useful, except as a lighter..." he said, talking about the fire magic.

"Assumin' ya ain't just lyin' that is..." Red mocked.

Slim shrugged. "Can't prove a negative, can ya?"

"Yeah, yeah, hide behind logic..." Red blew smoke into the air. He closed his eyes, drifting to sleep where he sat, the cigarette still stuck between his teeth.

Slim waited until he was certain Red was out, before taking the stick and putting it out against his third proximal phalanx. The burning sensation was almost soothing in its familiarity. Laying straight back on the floor, Slim stared back up at the ceiling and enjoyed his cigarette.

* * *

Dance had to spend an hour convincing Suave to stay behind before the group could go back to Comic's with their supplies. He only managed to win the argument by pointing out that someone had to stay behind and watch for humans. Suave had hugged him, imploring him to be safe, before leaving the house to go to work.

Returning to Comic's home, Dance looked over the materials with pride. "I think we have enough to get started!"

Lust picked up the blueprints. "So first we build the base..?"

Red picked up a large slab of metal and, with force that made Slim cringe back reflexively, bent and beat it into a box-like shape (bent at the ends so the top was open). He then punctured the edges with his claws, ripping through the thin metal like it was paper. Comic gulped, not able to look away. Dance gauged the size of the holes, and found the screws, nuts, and bolts that would work nicely. Stretch pulled up another sheet of metal, and, holding it in place so Red could get it aligned, watched as it too was punctured.

That's how construction began.

The work went well into the night.

* * *

Red sat back, rubbing his claws tenderly. He would never admit it, but prying that metal apart hadn't been easy (and it had hurt). He looked down and saw some of the bone had chipped, a bit of marrow and dust settled on the edges. He'd need to buff it out and hope it healed over without incident.

Standing up, he looked to see the others strewn about the room. Stretch was on the floor, his back to the table that held the Pet Rock. Comic was asleep in the kitchen doorway, still holding a metal bar that was going to be used for structural stability. Dance was face down in a pile of screws, having passed out while looking for the size they needed. Lust was sleeping on his side, laying on the blueprints a few feet away.

Slim yawned, pulling himself away from the device. He had just finished fixing a structural component into place (so the thing wouldn't fall over). He sank to his knees, back aching from being bent at such an odd angle. He pulled out the packet of cigarettes (which he had been more careful about going through) and lit one.

Red flopped on the couch. They were quiet.

"You gonna share..?" Stretch whispered, pulling himself to his feet. He came over and held his hand out to Slim. Slim paused, then, with a soft "Nyeh" he lit a second stick and passed it to Stretch.

Red tensed again, losing what little ease he had had. Slim he could manage -- Slim moved with a passiveness, a lack of confidence, a thoughtful deliberation that made Red much more comfortable. But Stretch moved with definitiveness as much as ease, and while his posture was bad, he still stood with a sense of confidence that made Red wary. It took every ounce of willpower Red had to keep from flinching away whenever he got close.

Stretch sat down cross legged next to Slim, putting the cigarette in the gap between his mandible and temporal bones. Slim watched as the smoke waifed into the air over his head.

Red clicked his teeth in irritation. Not comfortable enough with Stretch (now that he wasn't high off his ass) to say anything, he started smoothing over the chips in his phalanges, rubbing them against the edges of the claws on his other hand.

Stretch saw what he was doing, and before Red knew it, Stretch was up and had his hands wrapped around his claws. Red went stone still, sweat building up on his skull.

"Did this happen while you were working..?!" Stretch asked, alarmed. "You're torn up..." he gently stroked the small cuts in the bone, brushing away the dust and marrow so he could better see the damage. "This is-"

"Back off!" Red snapped, a little louder than he meant to, wrenching away his claw and holding it (protectively?) to his ribs. His left eye flashed brighter for a brief moment. Stretch was not expecting that reaction. He reached out to pat his arm reassuringly. Red growled at him, low and threatening, then cut himself off, that look of panic crossing his face briefly. Stretch pulled his hand away, stepping back.

Red watched him for a moment, before snapping his fingers and shortcutting to the shed. Slim pulled the cigarette from his mouth. "Don't feel bad, you didn't do anything wrong... Except, you know, everything."

Stretch fell on the couch, groaning, one arm covering his eye sockets. "What happened to that guy?! Half the time he looks like he wants to rip me to pieces, the other half he looks like he thinks I'm going hit him!"

Slim shrugged. "Couldn't tell you..."

Stretch look at him, pushing his arm up a little higher on his face. "But you have your suspicions..." It wasn't a question.

Slim took a long drag. "Do you really want to know?"

Stretch sighed. No. No he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looking back at these older chapters i can't help but cringe TTATT


	6. As Walls Begin to Crumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lust goes home. Stretch finds his resolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** Badly written smut ahead.
> 
> Have I mentioned how absolutely annoying the formatting on this website is? I have a little coding training so I can hardcode a whole website (even if it looks plain) but for the life of me I CANNOT KEEP THIS F**KING SHIT CLEAN AND IT IS MESSING WITH MY OCD OMFG

The next day was much the same as the last -- the skeletons focused their energy on building the machine that they hoped would allow them to all go home. Red acted like nothing was wrong, ignoring Stretch except when it came to actual work. Stretch didn't know how to broach the subject anyway, even if he wanted to, so it worked out in its own dysfunctional way. Slim watched them avoid each other with a mix of amusement and disappointment.

As the evening light began to dim outside, Dance inspected the work so far. "We're still missing important pieces..."

Comic tightened a bolt, looking up at Dance. "Another salvage run?"

Dance nodded. "Yeah..."

Lust stood up shakily. "If- if thats the case... May I..?"

Comic looked him over. "Sure... I suppose... But do you think you're up for it? You look tired..."

Lust gripped Comic's hand, forcing a grin on his flushed face. "If you don't believe me, I can show you how energetic I am..." He winked. If anyone noticed it didn't have the enthusiasm it once had, they didn't comment. Comic felt Lust's bones in his hand, and thought how strange it was that they felt soft.

Another countdown (this time led by Lust).

Another loud crack.

* * *

"It'll be alright, darling... I'm sure he's fine..." a lilting voice greeted them as the world stopped shifting. Lust sighed in relief, recognizing Mettaton's voice. It was too real to be from the television -- his brother must have invited him over. Lust let go of Comic's hand, turning to say hello-

"I'm sure he'll come through that door any minute, and-"

-and a wave of blazing heat ran through his body. Taken completely by surprise, Lust lost his footing and collapsed, crumpling into a heap on the plush pink carpet with a resounding wet thud.

"SANS!" A panic filled voice screamed. A tall skeleton jumped off the couch and fell to his knees next to Lust, pulling him into his lap as gently as he could. This was clearly another 'Papyrus', however he was dressed as lewdly as Lust, sporting black shirtless sleeves and black leather pants with two gold looping belts. He had a translucent pink midsection, magic mimicking an abdominal region from his false ribs to his pelvis. His eye lights were a deep hot pink to match, and would have been beautiful had they not been filled with worry. "SANS..! YOU'RE BURNING UP..! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??? WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!"

Comic almost stepped forward to check on Lust, but Stretch stopped him. Dance backed away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Red unconsciously put his back to the wall, but he too was confused. Slim just lit a cigarette and watched.

Lust blinked up at his brother. "Sorry bro... I guess it's too _hard_ to hide it anymore..." He tried to salvage what little of his pride he had left by standing up, but his legs stubbornly refused to do as they were told.

'Papyrus' wiped the sweat from Lust's face with his sleeve. "SAVE YOUR JOKES FOR LATER. WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! IT'S BEEN A WEEK!!!! _A WEEK!!!!!_ SANS, SANS, PLEASE, STAY WITH ME..!"

Lust smiled. "Yeah... today makes it seven days... doesn't it..?"

"Whats wrong with him..?" Dance asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

"No idea..." Comic responded equally quietly.

'Papyrus' started to tear up, a step away from hyperventilating. Lust again tried to get up, and this time he managed to pull himself into a sitting position. Encouraged by the progress, he tried standing again. Unfortunately, another wave of fire rushed up his spine, and he lost his balance. As he fell to the side, 'Papyrus' caught him, and pulled him close to his ribs; gripping him gently so he was supported in the crook of his arm, Lust's head was at just the right elevation to lay against his brother's clavicle. Lust chuckled. "I guess I'm feeling a little light headed..."

'Papyrus' put his hand on Lust's sternum, and CHECKed him, pulling his soul out for inspection. Comic couldn't help making a CHECK of his own:

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 1  
> HP 0.4 / 1  
> AT 1 | EXP: 0  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 10  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 200 | KILLED: 0  
  
Lust's soul was a dull lavender, oozing and out of shape. A few drops fell off, landing with a plop on 'Papyrus's hand. Mettaton gasped, covering his mouth with both hands. 'Papyrus's eyelights went out entirely. As he watched, Lust's HP ticked down to 0.3. He felt Lust's body become softer against him.

Comic felt sick. Dance's eye lights went out too. Stretch ground his teeth, unable to look away. Slim and Red watched apathetically - it wasn't like this was their first time seeing someone dying.

"You- didn't have to do that... Just- just, can you get me to Grillby's?" Sans pleaded, lifting his hand to grip 'Papyrus's shoulder. "I can walk if you lend me a hand..." Lust watched as 'Papyrus' brought his hand closer to Lust's soul. Lust's eyes went wide. "No, Pap- don't- don't touch it now! It's-" 'Papyrus' tenderly took hold of Lust's soul. Lust screamed, half in pain, half in something else, his body spasming, his hand clutching at 'Papyrus's shoulder hard enough to leave marks (had there been any skin). Lust panted, leaning into his brother with a whimper and a sob as the purple ooze seeped through 'Papyrus's fingers.

'Papyrus' looked up at Mettaton pleadingly, opening his mouth to say something. Mettaton kissed 'Papyrus' tenderly on his frontal bone, cutting him off. "I understand..." He pulled away. "I'll be back as fast as I can, darling!" Mettaton ran out the door at full speed, leaving 'Papyrus' holding his brother on the floor.

Lust patted his brother's shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm still okay..." Reaching up with his other hand, Lust gripped his brother's jaw and made him look at him. "I'm okay. Now can you help me to the couch? This is embarrassing. We have guests, you know."

"THEY CAN JOIN IN, THEN," 'Papyrus' said, thumbing Lust's soul tenderly. Lust gasped, clutching desperately to his brother's ribs. His eye lights seemed to roll back in his head.

"Pap- Not here- not-" Lust was cut off when 'Papyrus' made a rolling motion across the surface of Lust's soul. Lust gasped, his body shuddering.

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO PLAY SHY, BROTHER," 'Papyrus' said firmly, flicking the purple goop from his thumb.

"What the hell does Pinkie think he's doing?!" Dance coughed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

Comic was a deep shade of blue. "I- I don't-"

'Papyrus' (or Pink) looked over at the group briefly, but turned his attention back to Lust. Lust had gripped his wrist, weakly trying to get him to let his soul go. Pink squeezed it lightly, easing out more of the goop. Lust let out a low moan, his grip slipping. "Please... Pap... at least... upstairs..." Lust looked up at him, breathing harder than before, his face flushed. "Not in front of them... please..."

Pink stroked his mandible tenderly. "We'll go upstairs when Mettaton gets back with Grillby..." He said, a softness in his voice that was soothing. Lust closed his eyes, suppressing a whimper as he tried to hide his face in Pink's chest. Putting his free hand over Lust's head, petting him, Pink he continued to incrementally squeeze out the goop from his soul. Lust tried to keep quiet, but he couldn't completely suppress his voice.

Red looked at the purple goop that had fallen to the floor. "What th' hell is that stuff..?"

"Don't know... It looks gross..." Slim said, taking a long drag. "This is pretty hot tho..." Stretch looked at Slim incredulously. Slim looked back at him. "What?"

"That's- That's like you and your brother doing- doing-" Stretch sputtered, his face as orange as his hoodie.

"Doing something lewd, yes. And its working," Slim said, pointing at Lust. Stretch looked. Lust's HP had inched up to 0.4 again. The implications dawned on everyone at once. Stretch turned a brighter orange. Comic and Dance turned a deeper blue.

"Welp, I ain't watchin' this. I'll be in the shed." Red snapped his fingers and disappeared.

A few seconds later, Red was back, a deep shade of crimson spread over his face. "Don't go in the shed." He pulled his hood up over his head, stuffing his claws in his jacket pocket.

Pink was starting to look a little pink himself (having Lust clutching at his ribs had that effect). Hearing Red's comment, he chuckled. "Would you prefer the shed tonight, Sans? I don't think Grillby will mind..."

Lust shivered, thinking about the possibility. "I didn't raise you to be a tease..." He managed to gasp out. Pink smiled. He was so relieved to see Lust feeling better. He gave Lust's soul one more good squeeze, making Lust spasm and cry out louder than before. Lust's HP ticked up to 0.5.

Thats when a fire elemental in a fishnet shirt and jeans came in through the door. His orange body was offset by brilliant blue flames that tinted the ends of what would be his hair. His light was pulsing violently as he skidded across the carpet and came to rest next to Lust. Pink let go of Lust's soul, letting the fire elemental pull Lust into his arms.

Lust smiled, leaning into the warmed with a purr. "I missed you too, Grillbz... But lets take this somewhere more private..." Grillby looked at him with a question playing on his face. Lust wrapped an arm around his neck. "The shed..." Grillby turned more red than orange, his fire surging. With a bound, the two were out the door.

Pink picked himself up off the floor, licking his phalanges clean of the purple liquid. Smiling, he looked at the others. "So, anyone want to help a guy out? I'll make it worth your while..." His voice, which had previously been light and friendly and very, very platonic, was suddenly sultry velvet drenched in seduction and promises.

Stretch's jaw dropped so hard he was afraid it would fall off. He wondered if his own voice could do that.

"Maybe later - right now I think we have something else to deal with," Mettaton said reasonably. "Now go wash your hands - that's unsanitary!"

Pink smiled at him, licking his finger one last time. "Alright, babe. Whatever you want." He headed toward the kitchen, hips swaying. Mettaton watched, blushing, then shook his head.

Fixing the tiny butterfly wing-like glasses siting on the bridge of his prominent nose, Mettaton turned on the group. "So," he started, arms crossed, "Does anyone want to share what is going on?"

Comic laughed nervously. "We're- uh, we're relatives from out of town-"

Mettaton crossed his arms in front of him like an 'X'. "WRONG! Try again, dear."

"How do _you_ know that ain't true?!" Red snapped, starting to get mad.

"Because, Sans, you don't have an ounce of LUST in your body." Mettaton said calmly.

"TH' FUCK YOU GET OFF TALKIN' 'BOUT MY BO-" Red stopped. Dance face palmed. Comic snickered. Stretch rubbed his head. Slim raised an eyebrow ridge, even more amused than before.

"Thats what I thought..." Mettaton sighed, sitting down on the arm of the couch, legs crossing daintily at the ankles. "Did you think nobody was going to notice the resemblance?"

Stretch scratched his at the area near his zygomatic arch. "Well, uh, we'd hoped common sense would, you know..."

Mettaton sighed. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Pink came back from the kitchen, and sat behind Mettaton. He lazily put his arms around his waist, and nuzzled into Mettaton's back with a pleased purr. "WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?"

Mettaton smiled, putting a hand over one of his arms, petting it absently. "Your guests were just about to tell us all about themselves."

Comic shifted his stance nervously. "It's my fault, I think... Considering-"

"Considering ya pulled us all int' _your_ shitty ass universe, yeah, I think it's _your_ fuckin' fault!" Red snapped, clicking his teeth. "This is fuckin' stupid! Lets just get what we need an' _go_!"

"Calm down, Red..." Slim sighed. "Besides, we can't leave without Lust anyway..."

Red twitched. "I need a fuckin' drink..." He made his way into the kitchen, hoping to find either mustard or booze. Slim sighed again, taking a deep inhalation of his half gone smoke.

"'Red'?" Mettaton asked.

"Well, we couldn't just keep calling each other 'Hey you' now could we?" Dance responded. "It was Lust's idea actually- oh, uh, 'Lust' is the one from this place... Hi, I'm 'Dance'."

"They call me 'Comic'."

"'Slim'..."

"'Stretch', and the edge-lord in there is 'Red'."

Mettaton nodded his head thoughtfully. "I see... Well, then... I'm Mettaton, and-"

"I'M HIS BOYFRIEND, PAPYRUS," Pink chirped. "AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BRINGING MY BROTHER HOME. IF YOU HAD BEEN EVEN A LITTLE LATER, HE..." Pink's voice trailed off.

Mettaton turned a little to wrap his arms over Pink's shoulder. "Shh... It's alright. I know, I know..." Mettaton cooed, soft and soothing.

"What would have happened..?" Dance asked, sitting down on the floor.

Mettaton look back at them. "Sans- er, 'Lust', would have Fallen..."

"You mean, he'd have Dusted?" Slim asked, not used to the phrase.

"No, no- um..." Mettaton took a moment to find the words. "When left untended, human LUST will cause a monster to melt, and-"

"Wait wait wait, _human_? So like, this 'LUST' stuff is like DETERMINATION?" Comic interrupted, suddenly feeling cold.

"DETERMINATION..?" Mettaton stopped, thinking. "Oh, yes, I think Alphys mentioned something about that once... That's also a substance extracted from a human soul... So, yes, I suppose they are similar..."

"And you just injected a monster with that?!" Comic pressed.

"WE ALL HAVE IT THOUGH, DON'T WE?" Pink piped up. "WELL, EXCEPT FOR YOU AND THE GHOSTS, RIGHT METTATON?"

"Thats right, darling. LUST can't affect those without an organic body..." Mettaton took Pink's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I'm sorry, here we are holding a conversation and not including you..."

"I don't mind," Pink said, clinking his teeth against Mettaton's cheek. "I like listening to you talk..." Pink used that velvet voice again, making Mettaton flustered. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the two of them felt like they were the only two in the whole world.

Stretch felt something catch in his nonexistent throat. They had said 'melt'. He lost his eye lights, a shadow falling over his face as he fell back against the wall by the kitchen doorway and slid to the floor. He should have taken to time to ask. He should have tried to listen. But he hadn't wanted to know, and it almost cost someone their life.

Dance pulled his hood over him, feeling guilty. Lust had been trying to get help. He had asked over and over for someone to help him, and even when it got painful, he had never forced himself on anyone (not really). Dance suddenly felt sick inside.

Slim just took another long drag. Guess he knew what kind of world Lust lived in now.

Comic had to force himself to breath. He had seen it, the way Lust had been shaky on his feet all day. He had felt the unusual heat radiating from his body, felt the pliability of his bones. He had all the signs, but he didn't put the pieces together. He hadn't even thought that there could have been something wrong. He had taken one look at Lust's grin, and assumed everything was alright. Comic laughed at himself. He of all people should know how easy it was to hide your problems with a smile.

* * *

Grillby kicked the shed door closed behind him. He hurriedly carried Lust over to the mattress that sat on the floor, and laid him down. Lust tangled his phalanges in Grillby's fishnet shirt, the tips of his distal phalanx digging into the springy material that composed Grillby's fiery body.

Grillby straddled him, running the licks of flame that were his hands over Lust's false ribs. Lust let out a cry, squirming under the touch. "I don't need-" Lust's words turned into a scream as Grillby leaned down, pushed his shirt out of the way, and ran his flaming tongue along the length of Lust's sternum. Lust's body shuddered, a bright amethyst glow forming in his pelvic inlet. Grillby ripped Lust's pants away, engulfing the member in his one hand as he played with Lust's floating ribs with the other.

Lust gripped Grillby's face and pulled him up for a kiss, their tongues twisting and sliding together inside the fire elemental's mouth. When Grillby finally pulled away, he was panting almost as hard as Lust.

Grillby got off of Lust just long enough to drop his jeans to the floor. Lust shook off his vest, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it across the room as he kicked his pants off the mattress and out of the way. Grillby climbed back over Lust, and slid himself onto the skeleton's magic. Lust screamed, clawing at the mattress as he angled upward. He heard the crackling hiss that he recognized as a sound of pleasure, felt the warmth of Grillby's body engulf him like a tidal wave, and lost himself in the moment. Lust felt his body arch and thrust and jerk in harmony with the elemental, gradually falling into the rhythm that led them both to bliss.

Lust gripped onto Grillby's wrists, which were braced on either side of his spine. He thrust up into the warmed of the elemental one last time, letting out a breathy sigh of relief as he came. Grillby shuddered on top of him, his body flashing, sending bright red sparks into the air around him as he also climaxed. When Grillby fell to the side, trembling from the high, Lust rolled over and wrapped his armed around him. Grillby smiled in his own way, nuzzling his face close to Lust's, an intimate act of affection he rarely engaged in. Lust ran his knuckles over Grillby's cheek, entranced by his light.

"Want to go again?"

* * *

When Lust woke up the next morning, Grillby was gone. He wasn't surprised -- the guy had a strip club to run. He ran his hand over the side of the mattress where Grillby had been, feeling the warmth still left behind. Then he stretched, got up, and hunted down his cloths.

Lust came back into the house, whistling. When he opened the door, he saw the others were waiting for him. Comic was on the couch with Stretch and Dance. Slim was leaning in the kitchen doorway, watching Red toss stuff out from under the sink.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with this fuckin' place?!" Red snarled, tossing aside a dog that had made itself comfortable in the cupboard. "Half this shit ain't even food!" Slim snickered as Red slammed the cupboard door shut and went back to the fridge for the 8th time that day. Red opened it again to find that nothing had changed: all there was inside were some containers of bowtie noodles and an empty bag of chips. Red slammed the door shut again. "WHO TH' FUCK I GOTTA KILL T' GET A FUCKIN' DRINK?!"

Slim lit a new cigarette, chuckling. "Temper, temper..."

"FUCK YOU!"

Lust came over to the couch, not taking his eyes off the kitchen. "Um... How long has that been going on..?"

"On and off since last night," Comic said lazily. "I don't think either of them got any sleep. On that note," he looked away from the TV and smiled. "How you feeling?"

Lust beamed. "Like I just got laid. Which I did. Repeatedly." He hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his vest and sighed contentedly. "Sorry about last night. That wasn't very be _cum_ ing of me!"

Comic smiled, relief flooding his face. "Glad to hear it."

Dance felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "So, you're all better now?"

Lust smirked. He sat down in Dance's lap, leaning into him as he let one hand creep up his sternum through his hoodie. "Aww, were you worried about me? That's so sweet! If it'll make you feel better, you can check me out yourself. I won't mind!" Dance went still, his face changing to a shade of ocean blue that made Lust laugh.

"I think he's fine..." Stretch muttered, more jokingly than he might have before.

Lust pulled away from Dance and sat down on the floor. "So where did Pap- uh, my brother go?"

"Pink went out some time ago, something about work," Stretch said.

" _Pink_? That's _adorable_! I'm gonna call him that!" Lust exclaimed, holding his face. "Who named him? Was it Red?" Dance shifted uncomfortably. Comic grinned slyly. Stretch chuckled. Lust smiled wider. " _It was you_?! It's cute! I love it!" Dance shrugged, looking away.

Red finally finished his temper tantrum, stomping out of the kitchen. "If yer done with yer bullshit, let's get th' goods an' get th' fuck outa here!"

Lust smiled. "Yeah..." He snapped his fingers and went to the dump, the others not far behind.

* * *

After putting the goodies on the floor in Comic's house, Red quickly made his way to the Shed. He climbed onto the dog bed and pulled out his bag of weed. Holding his thumb up, Red made a small flame on it and lit his joint. Putting it between his teeth, Red laid back with his arm over his eyes, letting the drug take hold of him and force him to relax. He needed to relax. Fuck did he need to relax.

After about an hour, when Red was good and high, Slim came in. Slim flopped down onto his pillow on the floor, rolling his neck. "You left early."

"Nah, nah, what? No I did- I didn't- Nah!" Red started laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Slim let out a small 'Nyeh heh', breathing in the second hand smoke. "You must be feeling pretty good right now..."

Red snickered. "Good? Me? HAH! Everythin' is awful. Everythin' is fuckin' awful!"

Slim leaned back, spotting Stretch as he came inside from around the corner. Slim quickly signed to him (in a way that Red wouldn't see) { _If you want to know, hide._ } Stretch backed quietly against the wall, staying in the short hallway outside of the wooden bars, where Red couldn't see him.

Slim looked back at Red, who was still snickering. "So... ya gonna share that?" Slim asked.

Red fumbled in his jacket and tossed the bag to Slim. "Help yerself... HAH! Fuck..." Slim pulled a joint out and lit it with his magic, taking a long drag. Red blew tinted smoke from between his teeth. "Ya know, watchin' them fuckin' sugar puffs makes me sick... With their cutesy lovey-dovey friendship bullshit..."

Slim nodded in understanding. He could see where Red was coming from. "No matter how nice the dream is... Ya gotta wake up sometime..."

"EXACTLY! But fuck- When I saw that shed- That fuckin' shed- It was like I'd gone home... Only the bloodstains were missin'. Ya shoulda seen it: All them whips and chains and clamps, it was a fully stocked torture room. Heh, except, ya know, pink..." Red took another deep breath. "That pixie stick looks so goddamn PRISTINE! I can't see a single mark on those fuckin' bones he's always flashin' around! Heh..." Red laid back. "Pinkie must be a hellova lot more careful than my bro... Fuck..." Red dimly realized he was talking too much, but he was too high to care. He was too DONE to care. Then again, he'd been too done to care for a long time.

Slim was quiet. He twirled his joint in his hands, his face unreadable. He knew exactly what Red meant, and there were no words he could say that would convey the feeling better than Red's had.

Stretch began to see the big picture. His blood ran cold; his eye lights went dark. He had to be wrong. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Stretch slid to the floor, holding himself. He forced himself to breath evenly, to remain calm, to NOT run in there and pull those two broken skeletons into his arms and hold them and whisper how everything was going to be alright because he was with them now and he would never _ever_ let _anything_ bad happen to them again.

He knew he hadn't wanted to know.

* * *

3:00 AM on the dot, Comic shot up from his restless sleep, heart pounding in his ribcage. He had just enough presence of mind to cover his mouth and muffle his scream as best he could. He felt the bright glowing streams of tears flood down from his eye sockets, saw the light from his eye bouncing off the walls of his unfurnished bedroom. He clutched at his skull, trying to will himself to stop shaking. He knew it was a futile attempt. It always was.

Comic sat there, in a little ball, sobbing hysterically and trying to be quiet about it. So far, nobody seemed to notice this nightly event. He wanted to keep it that way. He had caused enough trouble for everyone, and burdening them with his pathetic crying and mental breakdowns wasn't fair.

After about ten minutes, Comic finally got himself calmed down. He wiped his face on his jacket sleeve, covering his glowing eye as a physical grounder to make it go out. He wanted to go downstairs and get something to drink, feeling dehydrated after such a hard cry, but this past week Lust had always been up and around this time of night and Comic didn't want to risk it. So, like he had been doing every night, he took a shortcut to his sentry station. He was always able to be alone there.

When Comic got there, however, he found Stretch sitting in the snow, his back against a tree, smoking. Comic froze. Stretch looked at him. "Can't sleep?" Stretch asked. "Me neither..."

Comic was stuck at this point. Putting his hands in his pockets, he shrugged. "I just felt like getting some fresh air." Comic heard the shakiness in his voice and immediately regretted speaking.

Stretch couldn't take it anymore. Flicking his cigarette into the snow, he got up.

"Uh, you don't have to leave on my accoun-" Comic was cut off by Stretch, who pulled him into his arm and held him.

"Please... Let me help..." Stretch croaked, shaking. "I can't stand being so useless... I can't stand watching you all suffer..."

Comic felt a lump in his throat. Then something inside him broke, and with a rush he felt all his suppressed emotions -- his loneliness, his grief, his self loathing -- bear down on him. He clung to Stretch, for both physical and emotional support, just like he had that day that was so recent and yet so far away, sobbing hard and dry and loud. Stretch sat back down in the snow, holding Comic in his lap, petting his back soothingly.

If this was all Stretch was good for, if 'being there' was all he could do, then god damn it, he was going to do it.

And he decided he was going to 'be there' for Red and Slim too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm bad so bad at writing this garbage X1
> 
> ~ Lust's world makes Red VERY uncomfortable, if you couldn't tell.
> 
> ~ Did I mention that Lust!Mettaton is very very smart. Like almost as smart as Alphys and Sans smart.


	7. Blood is Thicker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slim's dysfunctional relationship is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this really fast. I hope it is alright... I rather like it tbh.  
> Graphic violence ahead.

Comic must have passed out, because the next thing he knew he was laying on the couch next to Stretch. He sat up, blinking the remnants of sleep from his eye sockets. Stretch was looking to the right with an unreadable expression. Following his line of sight, Comic saw Slim and Red were sitting across from each other, two piles of tupperware sitting between them. Lust stood a little to the side, aligned with the empty space between them, his hand raised over the tupperware. "Ready..?" He raised his hand, then slashed down. "BEGIN!" Red and Slim immediately grabbed out of their assigned piles and began eating as fast as possible.

Comic raised an eye ridge. "What the hell-?!"

"We're still missing a few parts, so we gotta go salvaging again..." Dance said, standing near the TV and watching the event with amusement. Comic wasn't completely following.

"Its a contest -- whoever can eat the most spaghetti wins. The loser has to do the next shortcut." Stretch's voice was even, but Comic could hear the faintest hint of tension.

Comic gulped, starting to feel sick just watching them. "Do they really not want to go back that badly..?"

Dance shrugged. "No complaints here. They aren't fighting, and that spaghetti is getting eaten. Win-Win."

Red was starting to take the lead, having eaten one more container than Slim by this point. Slim wasn't giving up though. He dug into the next container like his life depended on it. Stretch couldn't help thinking that, perhaps in his mind, it did. Red didn't let up. He wolfed down a container with one hand, and pried the next one open with the other. He didn't bother to stop to breath before pouring the next spaghetti batch into his mouth. Lust watched, close enough he could smell the food. He had to cover his mouth to keep his gag reflex under control.

In the end, Red won, finishing his last container as Slim was reaching to open his own.

"YES!" Red exclaimed, his fists punching the air over his head proudly. "IN YOUR FACE!" Slim groaned, holding his head as he cringed.

Lust held his hand up over Red. "Winner: Red!" Red pumped his arms victoriously a few more times before turning a shade of green he had no idea he was capable of, and jumped to his feet. He had just enough time to run outside and into the trees before he got sick.

Slim snickered. "Lightweight..." He picked up his last container of spaghetti and ate it out of spite. Red glared at him as he came back inside, watching Slim slurp up the final rubbery noodle.

"Welp, fair is fair. Slim drives today." Stretch stood up and held out his hand. Slim gripped it grudgingly.

Another countdown (led by Slim).

Another loud crack.

* * *

Comic was surprised to realize that, when the world stopped shifting, they were standing in the snow. Slim stepped back from the group, pulling his hood up higher. "Stay here. I'll go find the supplies." He disappeared with a silent pop.

Comic was stunned. He looked around, trying to figure out where they were. Then he saw the shabby sentry station. Red looked around, twitching, his shoulders stiff and his body hunched forward. He looked like he was getting ready for something. Lust rubbed his arms, a little put off by the cold. Dance shifted from side to side, feeling nervous for no reason he could name. Stretch leaned back against a tree and sighed.

An hour passed, then two, then three. Slim did not return.

"I think we should go look for him," Stretch said at last.

"I think _you_ should shut th' fuck up," Red muttered.

"Stretch is right - he's been gone a long time," Lust piped, shivering as he nestled closer to Dance for warmth. "Besides, we can't just stay here. We'll freeze!"

"He's probably just lost track of time at the dump..." Dance sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself than anyone else.

"Let's check there, then," Stretch said.

"Let's not an' say we did," Red retorted.

"Aren't you worried about him?" Comic asked incredulously.

Red shrugged. "That guy ain't like you pussies. He'll be fine. Th' best thing we can do is stay th' fuck outa his w-" Red suddenly went quiet. His face went dark. "Hide. Now." When nobody moved, Red pushed Stretch into the trees on one side of the road, then, using BLUE magic, flung Dance, Comic, and Lust into the bushes on the other. Red then joined Stretch, pulling him down close to the ground so he was hidden from view.

Stretch heard it then- the distant crunch of approaching footsteps. Soon, Stretch could see Doggo and Lesser Dog coming down the path. They had scars that Stretch didn't recognize, and Lesser Dog's armor was more scuffed and banged up than he remembered it ever being. As they approached, Doggo could be heard complaining.

"Why the hell do WE have to be the ones to come out to this piece of shit station?" Doggo spat.

"Because the captain's mutt abandoned his post..." Lesser Dog growled with obvious irritation.

"If that shit stain ever shows his face again, I'll rip up his OTHER eye!" Doggo snarled. "See how fast he is when he can't see shit!"

"Assuming he's still alive..."

"That's true," Doggo admitted. "Mutt probably crawled into the woods to die. Fitting end for a dog."

"YOU'RE a dog," Lesser Dog chided. Then a few feet away from where Stretch lay, they stopped. "You smell that?"

Doggo sniffed the air. "Smells like HIM!" he spat. "Bastard's alive, and skipping work like the lazy cunt he is!"

Lesser Dog twirled its sword in its left hand, licking its chops. "Papyrus~~~! Come on out~~~!"

Stretch froze. Red scratched at the snow underneath him irritably. He'd forgotten about the dog's sense of smell. It had never been a factor for him before. Then again, this was the first time he was trying to protect something other than himself. He mulled over his options. Looking over at Stretch, he couldn't help thinking how pathetic and small he looked, cowering in the snow.

Lesser Dog crept closer. "I~~~ smell~~~ you~~~!"

Red tensed, knowing he was probably going to regret what he was about to do. But if he let these weaklings die, there was no guarantee he was going to be able to get back. So as much as he hated it, he needed them, and he needed them _alive_.

And that meant doing something really stupid.

Just as Lesser Dog pulled its sword up, getting ready to bring it down on where Stretch was hiding, Red teleported to stand in the middle of the road. "Boo." He said.

Doggo jumped at the noise. "WHO'S THERE?!"

Lesser Dog turned. Its face contorted in a mix of confusion and fear. "C-Captain?!"

Red raised an eyebrow ridge, not expecting that reaction. But it was to his advantage. He shifted his stance, tilting his head back with a chuckle as his body became more relaxed. "Let's see how well trained ya are. _Sit._ " The two dogs froze, sensing the magic gathering in the air.

This was something Red was used to. This was something familiar. And he loved it. Red snapped his fingers, summoning 10 Gaster Blasters just over his head. " _Stay._ " Taking aim at the two dogs, he saw the hope die in their eyes. Red smiled, his gold tooth flashing wickedly. " **P L A Y D E A D.** " The blasters fired all at once, engulfing the two dogs in a blinding flash of light.

Stretch had to cover his eyes. When he finally looked up, he saw Red, standing there with a crazed grin on his face, his gold tooth gleaming in the light of his red eye. Nothing remained of the dogs except a bit of grey powder.

Red let out a breath, letting go of the BLUE magic he had been using on the others. " _Now_ we need t' go." He said, rolling his neck and shoulders to shake off the strain of using so much magic at once.

Comic crawled out of the bushes, a little shaken. Lust didn't move, shaking from the experience of watching a monster turn to dust. Dance gently took him by the shoulders and guided him to his feet. As he helped Lust out of the bushes, he gave Red a dirty look. "What. The. Hell."

Red looked over. "What? Yer alive ain't ya? Show some fuckin' gratitude."

"You just KILL TWO MONSTERS!" Dance shouted.

"So?"

Dance stared at him. "So? SO??? You KILLED someone and all you can say is-"

Comic put a hand on Dance's shoulder. "It wasn't the ideal solution... But it wasn't the ideal situation either..." Dance trembled in rage, but he forced himself to calm down, doing some short breathing exercises.

Red sauntered over to where Stretch was still laying in the snow. After a moment, he reached down and dragged him to his feet. Stretch forced himself to breath. Red smiled almost affectionately. He remembered his brother's first kill. He'd had a similar look on his face then: shock, guilt, fear, and a primal urge to survive all rolled and compressed into the bright orange lights of his eyes. Red felt himself repeating the same words he'd used back then: "Yer fine. Walk it off."

Stretch seemed to snap out of his shock. He looked down at Red. "Th-thanks for, uh-"

Red shrugged. "Don't mention it. Seriously. I gotta reputation t' keep." He turned back to the others. "Now. We need t' get th' fuck outa here. Once those idiots don't show up t' their next checkpoint, th' guard's gonna swarm this place."

"Where do we go then?" Lust asked, coming to himself.

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets. "The only place I can think of is the house..."

"It IS th' only place..." Red admitted grudgingly. "Be prepared for th' worst."

"What's the worst?" Dance asked, dripping sarcasm.

"'Sans,'" Red said simply. Then, snapping his fingers, he disappeared.

The others followed suit.

* * *

The first thing Comic heard when he got to the house was a loud crash.

"I SAID STOP LYING TO ME!" A familiar and yet unfamiliar voice shouted, muffled from being behind a closed door.

Red was staring at the second floor's second bedroom door, a mix of fear and anger on his face. Stretch followed his gaze, flinching when he heard another loud noise.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES!"

Stretch placed where he had heard the voice before. It sounded like his brother. It was the voice of a 'Sans'. A very loud, angry 'Sans'.

Comic and Stretch moved at the same time, racing up the stairs and ripping the door open.

Inside, Slim was on the floor, slumped against the wall. In front of him, there was a purple and black clad 'Sans', holding the leash attached to Slim's collar taunt, pulling him forward. At the same time, 'Sans' had his foot on Slim's ribs, pinning him to the wall, the sharp heal of his boot grinding into his sternum through his shirt. The shirt was stained red.

Slim let out a whimper as the heal dug deeper into the bone with a crunch. "M'Lord... I swear. I didn't run away. I would never-"

'Sans' backhanded him, hard enough to dislocate his jaw. The sound that came out of Slim was bloodcurdling. 'Sans' ground his teeth in irritation, and, taking hold of Slim's mandible, shoved it back into place hard. Slim whimpered, his eyes watering from the pain. "I said I didn't want to hear your excuses!" 'Sans' snapped. He yanked his heel out of Slim's sternum roughly, and slammed down on Slim's femur. The sound of bone snapping clean in half rang out, and a pool of blood formed underneath 'Sans's foot, staining the floor red. Slim's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Stretch stood, frozen. He had thought he had known. He thought he understood. But seeing the reality of it in front of him was enough to break him. He clutched at the doorway, his knees suddenly weak, fighting the urge to throw up.

Comic was also frozen. But not in shock. He was frozen in rage.

Slim noticed them, his gaze drifting toward them slightly. 'Sans' grabbed his face roughly and wretched it back into place. "Don't look away from me, mutt. You look at me when I'm talking to you."

Comic's eye went bright blue. He raised his left hand over his head, and a shower of bones came down on 'Sans'. 'Sans' heard the sound of the initial summoning, and turned to face the attack. His reflexes weren't enough though, and the first attack was about to make contact when-

-a wall of bones wreathed in orange light rose between 'Sans' and Comic's attack. The two bone attacks clashed, the noise deafening. When the smoke cleared, 'Sans' was unharmed.

Slim had his hand raised, his eye glowing orange, a look of genuine anger on his face. "I thought I said to wait..." his voice came low, almost completely devoid of the pain he was feeling.

'Sans' took a moment to register what had happened, a look of dumb shock on his face. Then he smirked. "Good job, mutt..." he leaned down, a soft purple glow extending from his hand to the leg he had just broken. "You earned it..."

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME?!" Comic shouted.

"You know why," Slim said softly, lowering his hand. As the purple glow faded, he moved his leg experimentally, flexing to test the healing.

'Sans' looked up at his guests. "I suppose I did train you too well to lie to me..." He muttered more to himself than anyone. "So these are the 'alternate universe' denizens you say you made contact with?"

"Yes, M'Lord." Slim responded quickly.

'Sans' grinned. "How delightful." He tugged on the leash gently but firmly, signaling Slim to to rise to his feet. "Full report, now."

Slim started speaking quickly but clearly, pointing to make his explanation more clear. "Comic: LV 19; HP 1; AT 25; DF 1; KILLS 1. Stretch: LV 1; HP 1; AT 1; DF 1; KILLS 0."

'Sans' clicked his teeth thoughtfully. "LV 19 with only 1 kill? That unusual... Are there others?"

"Yes, M'Lord."

"Anyone of note?"

"Red: LV 9; HP 1; AT 16; DF 1; KILLS 30."

Stretch blinked. "You've checked us..?"

'Sans' laughed. "MY DOG IS WELL TRAINED. JEALOUS?"

Stretch just stared. He didn't know how to feel. Slim opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. He didn't dare speak out of turn while his brother was present. Not without a good reason.

'Sans' eyed Stretch. "KEEPING THEM WOULD BE TOO MUCH WORK. BEST TO GET RID OF THEM." He raised his hand, making a bone barrage. Stretch clenched his fist, bracing for a FIGHT. Comic was already itching for one.

Slim grabbed onto 'Sans's arm desperately. "M'Lord, if you would indulge my humble request?"

'Sans' elbowed Slim in the sternum, right where he had been digging his heal before. There was the soft crack as a few bone chips were knocked loose. Slim was sent flying back into the wall, the force knocking the breath out of him. He clutched at his chest, now finding it hard to breath. "...WHAT DID YOU SAY??" 'Sans' growled. He sounded angry. Slim had expected this response.

Slim gripped his sternum through his shirt, squeezing it until the crack closed. Taking a quick breath, he spoke. "M'Lord. We have been working on a machine that would allow inter-dimensional travel. If we can complete the project, that power would be yours. Would that not please you, M'Lord?"

'Sans' narrowed his eyes, looking Slim up and down. "YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT IF I LET THEM LIVE, THAT IS A POSSIBLE OUTCOME?" Slim nodded earnestly. 'Sans' lowered his hand, dispelling the attack. "THEN TELL ME, IF THIS MACHINE IS INCOMPLETE, HOW IS IT YOU RETURNED?"

Slim gulped in another bit of air. "That has to do with resonating multiple temporal anomalies and adjusting the frequenc-"

'Sans' cut him off with a hand motion. "IN LAYMENS TERMS." He said flatly.

"Many shortcuts taken at once with the same destination allows one to cross over to different universes."

"AND THE MACHINE?"

"Will allow for one shortcut to achieve the same result."

'Sans' smirked. "GOOD JOB, MUTT... THIS IDEA PLEASES ME." Slim sighed in relief. "SO TELL ME WHY YOU CAME BACK IF YOU'RE WORK IS UNFINISHED."

"To look for materials we are currently missing."

'Sans' nodded. "FINE." He snapped his fingers. Slim obediently picked him up, setting 'Sans' carefully on his right shoulder. His face contorted in pain as the weight of his brother aggravated his injuries. 'Sans' either didn't notice or didn't care. "Livingroom."

Slim carried him out the door, carefully ducking down so 'Sans' didn't hit his head on the door frame, but keeping him balanced so he didn't fall (or even slide much). Slim quickly signed { _Follow_ } to the other two skeletons as he passed.

Lust and Dance looked up and watched Slim carry his brother down the stairs. Red looked him up and down, his body tense and ready to act. Stretch and Comic came down silently.

Slim stood in front of the couch. 'Sans' cleared his throat. "LISTEN WELL, MAGGOTS. I, THE MALEVOLENT SANS, HAVE DECIDED THAT YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING THAT BENEFITS ME. AS SUCH, I SHALL GRACIOUSLY ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE BORROWING MY DOG. BUT BE WARNED. HE IS STILL MY PROPERTY, SO YOU HAD BEST NOT MISUSE HIM. IF YOU DO I WILL KNOW. AND YOU WILL FEEL MY WRATH." He snapped his fingers, pointing down. Slim carefully knelt low enough that 'Sans' could hop from his shoulder and land on his feet. "NOW, I MUST RETURN TO MY DUTIES. DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME!" Laughing manically, 'Sans' left.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Slim fell onto the couch with a groan. He gripped his sternum again, breathing heavy.

Stretch rushed over. "Take it off, let me see." He meant Slim's shirt.

Slim shook his head. "I'm fine. It's nothing..."

Comic twitched. After what he had just seen, he wasn't in the mood to indulge in Slim's bravado. He held his hand out, catching hold of Slim's soul with BLUE magic. Slim went rigid. Comic came closer. "Stretch, get him out of that shirt. Lust, you're good at healing magic right? Standby." Stretch looked at Comic, and nodded.

Slim twitched. "I said it's fine. You guys don't listen well, do ya?"

Red leaned back against the wall, pretending he didn't see what was going on.

Dance stepped forward. "What happened up there?"

Comic ground his teeth. "His brother happened. His brother..."

Stretch carefully eased off Slim's coat. "It'll be easier if ya help me with the shirt..." He said softly. "We're only trying to help you, ya know..."

Slim sighed. "Fine. Get it over with..." He lifted his arms over his head. Stretch gingerly eased the shirt up and off.

When he looked back down, he almost fell over.

Slim was covered in hairline fractures, scars, and missing bone chips. The worst (and most recent) was a large puncture hole in the middle of his sternum, out of which spilled a large crack that went clear down the middle. Slim's rib cage was holding together by a thread.

Comic dropped the BLUE magic, feeling ill. Stretch backed away, touching his own chest, feeling sympathetic pain run through his body as he gazed at bones that were so like his own broken beyond recognition. Red glanced over briefly. He was actually expecting something more gruesome. He felt relief: the breaks were clean. It would be much easier to heal.

Lust started shaking. He had never seen injuries this bad. It took him a moment to get himself together enough to come forward. Sitting next to Slim, Lust gathered his magic in both hands and gripped Slim's sternum as gently as possible. Slim bit back a cry, holding very still. Lust flinched, but didn't let his hands shake. Pulling the bones incrementally back into place, Lust coaxed and encouraged the marrow to net itself together, for the bone to grow and fuse. After a few moments, Slim felt the pain ebb, and he closed his eyes.

Lust held on for a little longer, just to be certain, before pulling away. He then fell back against the arm of the couch, passing out from exhaustion. He had used too much magic and could no longer keep his eyes open.

Slim opened his eyes, and touched his ribcage. All that was left of his injury was a small round indent that matched his brother's heel.

Red picked up Slim's discarded shirt, and leered at the bloodstain. He then walked into the kitchen with it. The sound of running water filled the empty air. Red came back, holding a couple of beers in his hands. "Let that sucker soak. It'll be good as new."

"I don't like now unfazed you are by all this..." Dance said.

"Get over yerself," Red snapped, plopping next to Slim. He handed Slim one of the beers, cracking the other open and downing it. "If th' razzberry complains about missing some o' his six-pack, blame it on me."

Slim laughed. "Don't call him that..." He flicked the can open and sipped.

Stretch sat on the floor, still clutching at his chest. "Why did-"

"That's just how he shows affection," Slim said simply.

"That. Is not. Affection." Comic growled.

Slim sat forward, his eye glowing. "If ya ever try ta hurt my baby brother again, I'll rip off yer arm and beat ya ta death with it. Do. You. Understand?"

Comic met his eyes. "Then he better not pull that shit in front of me again! I lost one Papyrus, I sure as hell am not going to lose another!"

The two glared at each other long and hard. Stretch got between them. "You said it before, didn't you Comic? 'Not the ideal situation?' Maybe we just don't have the whole story..."

Dance slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "I think the situation speaks for itself..."

Slim snatched his jacket violently from the arm of the couch, sliding it on. "Ya don't know shit about us. Don't try ta judge us based on yer limited worldview."

Red started laughing. He laughed so hard he dropped his empty beer can onto the floor, and almost fell off the couch. "This is hilarious! Holy shit- Do ya HEAR yerself?!"

Slim leered at him. "What?"

Red degenerated into giggles. "Yer defendin' th' pipsqueak that beat ya within' an inch of yer life t' spoiled lil fairies who've never seen an injury bigger 'n a fuckin' papercut! Yer fuckin' nuts!" He pointed at Comic. "And you! Yer actin' like ya actually give a rats ass about the guy! Like ya CARE! I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

Comic looked at Red. "And what if I do?"

"Do what?!" Red said between ragged breaths.

"What if I do care about him? And Stretch, and Dance, and Lust... and You..."

Red went quiet. Slim looked at Comic with surprise.

Comic continued, his voice even and soft. "What if I decided I wanted to care. That I wanted to give a damn. That I wasn't going to give up anymore?"

Red ran his hand over his face. "Then yer a special kinda stupid..."

* * *

* * *

After Slim retrieved his shirt from the sink, rang it out, shook it dry, and pulled it back on, the group went to the dump to scavenge. Comic and Stretch kept close to Slim, who pretended not to notice. Dance found an old laptop, which had a salvageable motherboard, perfect for their needs. Lust, who was left behind on the couch, slept through the whole event.

When the group came back to pick Lust up, Lust had Slim's brother (Razz) pinned on the floor. Razz's body lay limp, although he strained his neck as if trying to sit up. Lust walked his finger along the bit of spine that was left uncovered by his armor, an eery glow pulsing from his left eye. "C'mon, I thought you said you were ready for anything?" His usual flirtatious voice was strained with something unfamiliar. "You like it rough? I get the feeling you like it rough..."

"REMOVE YOUR FILTHY HANDS FROM ME THIS INSTANT! WHEN I GET UP FROM-"

Lust gripped Razz's spine, slid his hand up, and dug his thumb into the space between his thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. "Then perhaps I should make it so you _can't_ get up..." Lust smiled in a way that looked strange, almost scary. "Don't dish out what you can't take, handsome..." He whispered. "People might get the wrong idea..."

Slim grabbed hold of Lust by the throat. "This is yer only warning..." He growled.

Lust carefully pulled his hand away. "It's okay. We were just flirting. Weren't we, sweetie?" Razz nodded a little quicker than he should have, his face flushed. Lust stood up slowly, putting his hands behind his back. "See, Slim? No harm."

"Then why is he on the floor?" Slim hissed, his grip tightening ever so slightly.

Lust smiled. "Just some spinal realignment. Can I finish?" Slim gave Lust a warning look, but let go. Lust went over to Razz's head and slid his hand along his cervical vertebrae. Razz sat up, shaking. "See? He's perfectly fine. Not a mark on him. Well, except the ones he came in with. I couldn't do much about those."

Razz stood to his feet, brushing himself off. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE," he muttered, face a light purple.

Slim gripped Lust a bit roughly. Lust smiled amiably up at him.

Comic took them back, feeling like he wanted to thank Lust. He couldn't have done it better himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Red is starting to feel feelings
> 
> ~ Slim knows how to manipulate his brother. It isn't an easy or painless process, but it is possible.
> 
> ~ Razz has now tasted both fear and arousal.
> 
> ~ Do not make Lust angry.
> 
> ~ See this from Slim and Razz's POV [here (pt 1)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/25398309) and also [here (pt 2)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/33978228)


	8. The Edge of Tolerance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red has unresolved issues with his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I'm bad at writing for Red so...

Work on the machine went by silently. Red avoided eye contact with anyone. Slim kept looking over at Comic thoughtfully, and giving Lust the occasional cautionary glance. Dance and Comic were so engrossed on their work, stitching together the guts of the machine, that they hardly noticed when the others started to drift out of the room.

Lust went upstairs to get some sleep.

Slim and Red headed out to the shed. Slim pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, one he had gotten while he was home. He offered Red a stick as they opened the door. Inside, Stretch was waiting for them.

"Can we talk?" Stretch asked, softly.

Red gave him a look, skirting around by a wide birth to get to the dog bed he had come to claim as his. Stretch kept looking at Slim. Slim sighed, lighting his own cigarette and blowing smoke. "Sure..."

Slim went and sat on his pillow, rolling his stiff neck. Red flopped into the dog bed, lighting his smoke and tasting of it almost violently. He pointedly ignored Stretch as he sat down on the other side of the room.

"So," Slim said, breaking the silence, "What do you want to know? Was the show not enough? Ya wanna commentary too?" He sounded like he would have been amused if he wasn't so tired.

Stretch shifted uncomfortably. "Well... You said we didn't know about you... about your circumstances... If you want... I'll- I'll listen. I think, maybe, it would do us both good..."

Slim looked at him thoughtfully, chewing on the end of his cigarette. He took it from his mouth and blew out smoke. "Alright, you win. I'll give in, just this once."

Red sniffed with disdain. He couldn't understand it. Why were these soft-boiled eggs so nosy?

Slim looked at the lit end of his cigarette as he twirled it in his fingers. "Where to start... The beginning? Guess that would be the end of the old war, when the barrier went up. Its not like the UNDERGROUND had a lot to go around, so monsters started turning on each other, fighting for food and shelter and the few luxuries still available. Eventually, society degenerated into one of 'survival of the fittest', of KILL-OR-BE-KILLED."

Slim took a long drag, his gaze distant. "I only got 1 HP, 1 DF, same as you. I've got plenty of EXP, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get those stats to go any higher. Maybe it's 'cause I've given up, 'cause the only reason I bother getting outa bed in the morning is to check on my bro. Who knows, but the fact of the matter is, I'm a one-shot-kill."

Slim scratched his cheek thoughtfully, trying to think how to put the next part into words that Stretch would understand. "Hmm... Now, everyone has these scars, badges of honor and all that nonsense, that act like... signs of strength? Or perhaps survival? Either way, the more scars you have, the less someone wants to try and FIGHT you, see? So if I go walking around without a mark on me, then everyone is gonna figure out how fragile I am."

Stretch thought back to how Doggo and Lesser Dog had looked. He felt his hands curl into fists as he nodded, following along.

Slim smiled thoughtfully. "But, my bro is so cool... He has control of his magic like you wouldn't believe." Slim ran a hand along his one leg, right where Stretch had seen Razz stomp down. "My bro can break any bone in my body, and never even touch my HP." Slim smiled. "So that's what he does -- he beats and breaks me, making me look like I've been through hell and come out on top. And bonus," Slim's other hand started playing with the collar around his neck, stroking the leather delicately, like it was some kind of precious treasure, "When the others see him do it, when they see my little bro leading a big guy like me around like dog, they learn to respect him, to fear him. So I know each and every one of my scars is a shield for my little brother... And I'm content with that."

Stretch trembled. "But why did-"

"He was worried about me, Stretch. I'd been gone for over a week. He'd thought I'd, heh, _bit the Dust_. So when he found me in the dump, he showed his emotions the only way he knew how: through violence. I took him home, hoping it might help calm him down..." Slim took another drag. Looking at Stretch, he smirked. "It just goes to show how much my awesome brother values me, that he'd let his emotions get so far out of hand. I'm honored he would ever care so much about a useless creature like me."

Slim leaned back, putting the cigarette back in his mouth, and his hands behind his head. "So, now I've bared my soul to ya. Happy now?"

Stretch sat there, trying to sort out his range of emotions. He felt pity for the skeletons, who had to go so far just to survive. He felt angry at the world that had allowed the circumstances to coalesce in such a way. He felt guilty for not trying to understand. And, most jarringly, he understood. Deep down, he knew that he would have done anything for his own little brother, and that, given the same circumstances, he probably would have done (and felt) the same way. Because he loved his brother more than anything in the world. That seemed to be an immutable fact, a consistency, a natural law, that nothing could change.

Red sat quietly, grinding his aching teeth. He needed a drink.

* * *

The next morning, Red woke up alone in the shed. He didn't mind (or so he told himself). He yawned, wiping the bit of drool from his face, and got up. Today was the day. This bullshit was going to end.

Coming into the house, Red was met with five pairs of eyes looking at him. "What? Somethin' on my face?"

"Red..." Stretch started.

"One of the circuits blew out." Dance said simply.

Lust crossed his arms, not looking at Red.

Red twitched. "So what? Lets just go find a new-" He stopped. "Oh no. Fuck that. No."

Slim took his cigarette from his mouth, letting smoke escape from between his teeth. "We've picked everywhere else dry, lil guy."

Red twitched. He opened his mouth to refuse outright, to tell them they could all go to hell and he was NOT going to do it, when he saw the looks in their eyes: the way Comic looked at him, with a mixture of expectation, hope, and a little fear; the way Dance shifted from side to side, clutching at the broken piece like a lifeline; the way Lust pointedly avoided his gaze, his body slanted, his posture supplicating in this way that made Red want to apologize for some inexplicable reason; the way Stretch's eye lights flickered with longing for something just out of reach, and Red was the answer. Slim chewed the end of his cigarette thoughtfully, looking put out by the whole thing.

"Please?" Stretch asked, holding out his hand to Red.

Red clicked his teeth irritably. He had the nagging feeling that he was again about to do something very, very stupid. "........Fine. But ya gotta do exactly as I say. None o' that shit ya pulled with Slim. Ya don't talk t' anyone. Ya don't _look_ at anyone. Ya keep yer asses out from underfoot. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Comic said, nodding.

Red sighed.

Another countdown (led by Red).

Another loud crack.

* * *

As the world stopped shifting, Comic noticed the familiar noise of wind. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by darkness.

Red stepped away and turned on a light. The room was illuminated. It was sparse, with only a grimy unmade mattress, a self-sustaining tornado of socks, and a bent lamp that flickered every few seconds. There were claw marks on the walls level with his hips, and all over next to the bed. The door was busted, the knob ripped clean off and haphazardly fixed back in place with ducktape and prayers.

Red snapped his fingers a few times to get everyone's attention. Then he signed { _Stay here. Keep quiet._ } He reached into his pocket, pulled out the latest addition to his sock collection, tossed it into the tornado in the corner, then disappeared.

Slim sat down on the bed, leaning back against the wall. Dance examined the tornado, watching the socks spin and dance in the air, trying to ignore how depressing the rest of the room was. Lust trailed is fingers along the claw marks in the wall, wincing when he found out how deep they were. Comic and Stretch stood still, listening. Then as one, they pressed themselves against the door and listened. They could hear people talking downstairs.

* * *

Red knew instantly that his brother was home. So he made it clear that the others needed to keep their mouths shut, then took a shortcut outside. He casually came back in through the front door.

'Papyrus' was laying on the couch, surrounded by empty beer cans. He looked up at the sound of the door. His eye lights flickered with an emotion Red couldn't place, then he went back to watching TV. "I thought you were dead."

Red shrugged. "Sorry t' disappoint ya."

'Papyrus' crushed the empty can in his hand. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Why aren't you at work?"

There was a crash like broken glass. 'Papyrus' had thrown his empty can through the television, cracking the screen and knocking it to the floor.

"WHAT TH' HELL?! THAT'S TH' THIRD TV THIS MONTH!" Red bent over it, inspecting. At least the insides were somewhat salvageable. Hell, this might even be the parts they needed. Guess Red got off luck-

Red felt the blow to his ribs, felt himself sent flying across the room and into the wall. He felt the impact as the wind was knocked out of him, and his shoulder was dislocated. He felt himself slid down limply to the floor, where he coughed up blood and bone chips.

'Papyrus' slammed down the leg he had just used to kick Red with. "STOP TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Red turned so he had his back against the wall. His vision was blurry, but he could tell by the noise alone that his brother was coming closer. Gritting his teeth, he raised his good hand and sent a few bones flying forward. "NONE O' YER FUCKIN' BUSINESS!"

"IT IS TOO MY FUCKING BUSINESS!" 'Papyrus' screamed back, knocking Red's bones away with a jagged bone of his own as he approached. Gripping Red by the skull, he slammed Red face first into the floor. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU WORTHLESS GARBAGE! HOW DARE YOU RUN OFF ON ME!" He ground Red's face into the carpet of the floor, then wrenched him upward and tossed him into the wall by the stairs. Red tried to brace himself with his good arm, but only managed in getting his wrist broken and his ulna fractured. Gasping in pain, Red fell to the floor, landing badly on his spine, his head swimming as his body had trouble trying to figure out what pain signals to prioritize.

"Heh... Ya wouldn't understand even if I DID tell ya, ya stupid fuck-" Red was cut off when 'Papyrus' picked him up by the throat. Red would have clutched at his brother's wrist, despite knowing it was a futile effort, had either of his hands been functional. As it was, Red hung limply, a soft strangled noise coming sporadically from his open mouth.

'Papyrus' slammed him back into the wall. He began punching Red repeatedly, punctuating each word with a sickening crunch as he whittled away at his brother's bones. "HOW MANY TIME HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME STUPID?!" He then blindly clawed into Red's chest, gripping hold of Red's 4th rib, and pulled. Red screamed, louder and louder, until the bone finally splintered in his brother's hand. Red's eye lights went out entirely, a whimper escaping.

"I'm not- I'm not stupid..!" His voice suddenly much quieter, 'Papyrus' opened his hand, a large bone fragment clattered to the floor. Looking down at it, 'Papyrus' ground his teeth in irritation, a flickering of emotion flashing in his eye lights. He picked Red up by his shirt, tossed him haphazardly onto the couch, then turned to leave, his tall form trembling. When he got to the door, he stopped, came back, and shoved Red's dislocated shoulder back into place. "Put yourself back together, and clean this mess up." He hissed at Red. Then 'Papyrus' stomped out of the house, slamming the door hard enough to shake the glass in the windows.

Red held onto his consciousness just long enough to think 'That makes three now'.

* * *

The house went quiet. Comic waited with baited breath. Stretch counted to 10. Then, he opened the door and looked over the railing.

The jarringly familiar livingroom was in shambles. The television was broken, on the floor, glass scattered underneath. There were empty beer cans all over the room. There were holes in both walls, and in the floor. There were copious amounts of blood splattered up and down the carpet.

Then there was Red, laying on the couch like a discarded rag doll.

Stretch raced down the stairs, which was a poor choice, because he ended up slipping on the pool of blood at the bottom and slamming face first into the wall. He pushed himself up and tripped over a piece of bone the size of his hand that was laying on the floor.

Comic took one look at the scene below and went back into the bedroom. He grabbed Lust and took a shortcut down to the couch. The look on his face must have been telling, because Dance and Slim followed after.

"Holy-" Dance looked around the room. "This-"

Slim wasn't all that concerned until he realized Red was unconscious. With a quick motion, he made the CHECK:

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 10  
> HP 0.059 / 1  
> AT 18 | EXP: 1500  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 200  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 200 | KILLED: 32  
  
Slim ground his teeth. Dance fell back on the floor, his legs giving out. Comic's left eye blazed brilliantly with rage. Stretch scrambled off the floor, gripping Red's hand tenderly. "Red? Red?! Red, stay with us..!"

Lust forced himself to move. He placed his hands on Red's skull and focused. When Red's HP refused to go higher than 0.3, Lust pulled away. "Help me with his cloths..."

While trying to get Red's coat off, Stretch discovered his broken arm. Comic and Stretch eased Red onto the floor so Lust could reach it more easily. Lust carefully set the bones back into their proper place, and forced them to mend. Red's HP went up to 0.4.

By this point, Lust was already feeling drained. While he lay back, his head coming to rest in Dance's lap, Comic and Stretch eased off Red's coat. The shirt underneath was caked in blood. Without Red's cooperation, it was more difficult to peal off.

When they finally did get it off, Comic froze.

Red's ribs were a spiderweb of cracks even more numerous than Slim's. Furthermore, he was missing three ribs. One of Red's thoracic vertebrae was cracked and jutted out at an odd angle, bone marrow and blood oozing from the spaces. Stretch reached back and snatched the bone fragment off the floor, holding it out to Lust. Lust took it, and, steeling himself, carefully reached in and eased it into place. He quickly encouraged the bone to knit together, making the rib whole.

Red let out a hiss of pain, opening his eyes. "Can't a guy die in peace..?" He muttered, not all the way aware of his surroundings.

Slim smirked. Dance sighed in relief. Lust laughed. Comic chuckled. Stretch squeezed Red's hand.

Red tried to sit up, but fell back again with a yelp. He opened his eyes, blinking. Then he glared. "I thought I told ya t' stay upstairs..!"

"After what we heard, how could we?" Stretch said, relief making his voice tremble.

Red sneered. "Grab that TV. It should have th' parts ya need. We can leave now."

"In your condition? I think not!" Dance chided.

"I can shortcut just fine," Red growled.

Comic looked at Lust. "How long will it take to finish?"

"I DON'T NEED YER FUCKIN' HELP!" Red snarled trying to sit up and falling back with a gasp of pain.

"A few minutes if he cooperates. A few hours if he doesn't..." Lust admitted.

"What can we do?" Stretch asked.

"Hold him down. I can't work when he's fighting me."

"DON'T YOU FUCKIN' DARE!!" Red summoned a few bones to knock Lust away.

A wall of orange bones blocked his attempts. "I'm on magic duty." Slim snickered, leaning back against the wall.

Comic held down one arm. Dance took the other. Stretch pinned his head down, petting it to try and sooth him. Red blatantly refused to be soothed.

Lust straddled the injured Skeleton, reaching up into his rib cage and grasping at his vertebrae. "This is going to hurt..." Lust proceeded to manually realign each segment of Red's spinal column, popping bones back into place. Red's protests and magical assaults stopped, the skeleton focusing more on not screaming in agony. Lust worked as quickly as he could, but it was still a few minutes before the worst was over.

And through it all, Red's HP ticked slowly back up to 1.

Stretch breathing a sigh of relief. Dance caught Lust before he fell over, exhausted and panting. Slim smirked. Comic sagged to the floor next to Stretch.

Red slowly sat up, grinding his teeth as he rolled his neck.

"Can I have my shirt back now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red doesn't like accepting help from others. Even when it is for healing.


	9. The Light at the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Red finally breaks down, and the machine is finally completed.

Red picked up his shirt off the floor. It was more like a turtleneck sweater, but Red didn't have anything else he could quantify as a 'shirt'. He was about to put it on when he felt how it was heavier than usual. "Geeze..." He started wringing it out. Blood seeped out of the material and onto the floor. He shook it, sending a few splatters into the air, before pulling it back on.

Comic gulped, watching with a bit of nausea. "Aren't you gonna wash it first or something?"

"Why bother? Didn't ya know this thing was originally white?" Red snickered. Slim looked away, trying not to laugh. Dance didn't think it was funny.

"That's just a joke, right..?" Stretch asked, hopefully. Red stood up slowly, looking at his pants. He gripped the material in both hands and squeezed, sending more blood to the floor. Stretch gathered that he was not, in fact, joking.

Dance shifted uncomfortably in his seat on the floor. He looked down at Lust, who had passed out in his arms, his breath slowing. "I guess we're going to be here for a while..." Dance whispered, gently (almost affectionately) laying Lust down so his skull was cushioned in Dance's lap.

Red glowered down at the unconscious skeleton, torn between bitterness and guilt, when his attention was pulled away by a soft wet noise. Looking over, he saw a small cat was sitting near the pool of blood closest to the kitchen, quietly lapping at it. With a growl, he picked up the nearest beer can and hocked it at the cat. "STOP THAT! YER GONNA GET SICK AGAIN!" The cat didn't even flinch as the beer can clanked harmlessly next to him: he pulled his head up, gave a curt meow that clearly meant he was not inclined to listen, and resumed drinking. Red snarled louder, stomped over, picked up the cat, and shoved it into Stretch's arms. "Hold this."

Stretch took the cat, somewhat stunned. The cat, obviously used to being manhandled, proceeded to clean himself, purring contentedly as he settled into Stretch's arms.

Red went into the kitchen and dug out a bucket and a couple of sponges that looked like they had seen better days. He then started to sponge up the blood from the floor, grumbling under his breath.

Comic watched incredulously. "What are you doing?"

Red blushed, pointedly not looking at them. "It's called cleaning."

Stretch scratched under the cat's chin, a soft smile on his face. "I didn't know you liked cats..."

"I FUCKIN' HATE THAT SHITTY ASS FURBALL! ALL IT DOES IS SHED ON TH' COUCH AN' STEAL MY SOCKS!"

"So why are you going to the trouble of taking care of it?" Slim asked. Taking one of the sponges, he started cleaning up the blood pool near the stairs.

Red muttered something under his breath again. Comic didn't catch it.

"So, does this guy have a name?" Stretch asked.

"...Doomfanger..." Red mumbled.

"WHAT?!" Comic exclaimed, laughing as he looked at the cat. "Why did you name it-"

"I didn't." Red said curtly.

The room went silent except for the soft thrumming of Doomfanger's purr.

"...It's your brother's cat..." Dance said softly.

Red clicked his teeth in irritation, throwing the bloody sponge into the bucket with a hard splat. "WILL YA STOP BEING SO FUCKIN' NOSEY?! ITS NONE O' YER DAMN BUSINESS-" He stopped shouting, taking a deep breath. He knew he was getting unreasonably angry. He forced himself back down on his knees, wringing out the sponge into the bucket before resuming scrubbing.

Stretch pet Doomfanger, sitting back on the couch. He figured this was his best chance to get to know Red better. Perhaps his last chance. "You said, 'It'll make you sick again'... Has the cat gotten sick before..?"

Red sighed. He didn't really want to play 20 Questions, but there wasn't much else to do while they waited for Lust to wake up. At least if he indulged them, they wouldn't think to leave the house. That would be the worst possible scenario. So, shoving down his discomfort and pride, Red grudgingly responded. "Boss an' I came home after a fight with Undyne. Boss had his arm all busted up, it was drippin' blood all over th' place. So he sits down t' patch himself up, an' th' fuckin' cat decides it likes th' smell o' th' blood. So it starts slurpin' it up off th' floor. I think 'Hey, less work fer me,' so I let it slide. Some 20 minutes later, Boss starts squakin' about th' cat dyin'. I come out, an' it'd coughed up this disgustin' bloody hairball."

Comic chewed on this. "And your brother didn't like that?"

Red twitched. "No. No he didn't. And since I like t' keep my ribs attached, I'd rather not have th' furball cough up another blood clot!" Red moved over to start scrubbing violently at the carpet.

Slim, finished with the blood pool he had chosen to work on, picked up a bone chip from between the floorboards. "If that's true, why'd ya egg him on?"

Red went rigid. Comic looked at Slim, not realizing before that Slim had been paying attention to the incident. Dance, not following, looked between Red and Slim.

When Red didn't answer, Slim took a long drag and sighed. "Ya wanted him mad, didn't you? That's the only conclusion I can come to. Question is, why?"

Red glared at him. "Stop. Right now."

Slim ignored him. "The answer is simple, though, isn't it?"

"I'm warnin' ya, Princess," Red growled.

"Because it's KILL-OR-BE-KILLED," Slim said, evenly.

"Don't say it..!"

"Because 'angry' is better than-" Slim was cut off by the sound of a bone attack embedding itself in the floor next to his leg. The impact made the blood on the floor splatter, making a sickening wet noise. The unspoken word hung in the air.

_'Angry' is better than 'dead'._

Red shook where he stood, eye glowing a deeper red than before. "Just- Just drop it, ok?" Red's voice wavered, shaking between rage and something else that made Stretch's soul ache. Comic stared at Red, letting the pieces fall into place as he began to grasp the meaning of Slim's words. Stretch pulled the cat in his arms closer to himself, wishing he could do the same to Red.

Slim smirked smugly, blowing a bit of smoke from between his teeth. "So that's the answer you came up with? Nyeheh, I guess it just goes to show how lame your brother is if you have to-" Slim was taken by surprised when, instead of another bone attack, Red took a shortcut to the space in the air right in front of him and slugged him in the face. Slim hit the back wall, letting out a grunt of pain as he bounced off and hit the floor.

Landing on his feet, Red spat on the floor next to where Slim lay, his fist shaking. "NOBODY talks shit 'bout Boss but ME, got it?!"

Slim pushed himself back up, laughing. He thumbed the small crack in his maxilla, using crude healing magic to mend it. "Guess he doesn't get talked about much, then, does he?"

Red lunged forward, snarling indignantly. Comic gripped him hard from behind, struggling to get the enraged skeleton under control. "LET ME AT 'M!" Red howled, slashing with his claws toward Slim as he kicked and pulled and shook against Comic's hold.

Stretch gave Slim a disapproving look. "What are you doing? You're just making this worse!"

Slim didn't move, smiling. "Just proving a point. Red and I are a lot alike, just like I thought." He took a long drag, grinning. "Besides, the lil guy is way to easy to goad. How can I not?"

* * *

Lust woke up to find Red much calmer (if irritable), the room blood-free (although there were still stains on the carpet), and a cat sprawled over his spine. He sat up carefully, reaching down to pet the creature. It leaned into his attentions with enthusiasm.

"Good. He's up. We can go now." Red huffed, putting down the mustard he had been nursing for the past hour. Slim put out his cigarette. Comic took hold of the television. Dance gently moved the cat off of Lust and helped him up. Stretch took hold of Red's hand.

Soon they were back in Comic's house. And work on the machine resumed.

* * *

As Comic and Dance resumed tinkering with the machine, Stretch took hold of Red's arm and pulled him aside. "Can we talk?"

Red looked up at him. This was probably the last time he was going to have to deal with the nosy skeleton. Part of him wanted to shake his arm off, to push Stretch back. But the look of earnestness, of genuine concern in the taller skeleton's eyes made him pause. After a moment, he snapped his fingers, taking them to the shed. "Make it quick."

Stretch put his hands in his pockets, trying to figure out the best way to start. "About your brother-"

"Nope." Red turned to leave.

Stretch grabbed his arm again. "Please, hear me out!"

Red looked back at him. "It ain't none o' yer business. Why can't ya get that through yer thick sku-" Red's voice was cut off when Stretch pulled him into a tight, warm embrace. He tensed, his body going taunt as his instincts warred inside him about how to respond to the act.

"Just... Just please listen..." Stretch murmured. "I- I think that maybe, deep down, in your own dysfunctional way, you care about your bro..."

Red went limp. The words had struck him in a place he couldn't defend. He inwardly cursed Slim for opening his big mouth, for being too observant (and mouthy).

"I think, maybe... Well, my brother always says that even the worst people can change. And even if it will be difficult, I think it might be worth trying to mend your bond with him..."

Red clawed at Stretch's hoodie, trembling with emotions he had spent too long keeping bottled up. "W-what th' hell are ya sayin'?" His voice trembled shamefully, making him flush with embarrassment. "Why th' h-hell would I wanna go 'n do-"

"Because you want to love him, Red. I know it, there is good in you, even if you don't want to admit-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT!" Red cried, starting to rip at the material of Stretch's hoodie. "I can't AFFORD to do that! I gotta make him hate me! I gotta-!"

Stretch ran his hand along Red's back soothingly. "You want him to hate you?" That threw him for a loop. "Why?"

"I ONLY GOT 1 HP YA RETARD!" Red howled. "I gotta be sure Boss can take care o' himself when I- when I- He's gotta be able t' go on w-without me..." Red's knees gave out. Stretch knelt down to keep Red held firmly in his arms.

"I stopped cooking... so he learned t' do it himself... He's amazin', th' best chief in th' whole damn underground..." Red's voice was trembling harder than ever. Stretch couldn't see, but he felt the damp spots start to form on his cloths. "I stopped payin' th' bills... so he stepped up 'n did it himself... He makes more 'n me anyway, being th' Capt'n 'n all..." Red laughed weakly. "I stopped carin'... he stopped needin' me... Now all I gotta do is- is wait for the day he finally Dusts me... Then he'll be safe. Nobody 'll be able t' hurt him again... I w-won't be there t' be used against 'm... He'll be safe... Fuck..."

Stretch clutched at Red tighter. Red took a jagged breath. "Ya don't know shit about what it's like, seein' yer amazin' brother beaten an' broken in front of ya because if he even tries fightin' back, some punk is gonna dust ya in front of him. You don't know shit..."

Stretch felt like he was going to be ill. He tried to imagine the helplessness, the fear, the hopelessness of such a situation, but he knew that all his imaginings probably paled in comparison to the reality. He tried to imagine it from the perspective of Red's brother, how terrified he must have been to see his only family threatened, and the righteous anger at the ones responsible. He found that was easier to imagine.

Resting his head against Red's, Stretch prayed that, someday, Red and his brother would find a better way.

"Ya tell anyone about this... an' yer dead..." Red muttered, starting to pull himself back together.

"Of course."

* * *

Comic grinned, pulling himself upright. "It's finished!"

Slim leaned back against the wall, his back aching from being hunched over for so long, an unusual expression of pride flashing in his eye lights. It had been ages since he worked on something so complicated, and the rush, the high of achieving such a lofty goal was invigorating.

Dance patted the machine, practically glowing with pride. He was addicted to the sensation. "Do you want to do the honors?" He asked, looking at Comic, indicating the switch which would bring the machine to life.

"Don't mind if I do!" Comic purred.

Lust grinned from his spot on the couch, looking from the blueprints to the machine, admiring the handiwork of his counterparts. He couldn't get over how cute these nerds were when they were actually enthusiastic about something. He wondered if he ever looked like that. Probably not -- that wasn't the kind of excitement Lust was in the habit of feeling. A whisper of jealousy (and perhaps regret) began to clutch at his soul, but he brushed it aside. He could at least enjoy watching them in these last moments they would share together.

Comic reached out to pull the lever.

_The distant echo of a child's laughter rang out._

_There was a flash of golden light._

_The world stuttered._

When Lust finally blinked the light from his eyes, Comic, the Machine, and all the signs of their work were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MWAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!
> 
> YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER?! YOU THOUGHT, "Oh, ok, we've gone to everyone's universe now, so the obligatory Happy Ending MUST be here!'
> 
> HAHAHA YOU THOUGHT WRONG!


	10. The Fallen Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which 6 fully grown skeleton monsters gang up on 1 little human child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect to hear some familiar words (if you've ever done a Genocide Run)

Slim ran a hand over his good eye, trying to rub away the spots. His body was on alert, but he couldn't sense any bloodlust. The conflicting instinctual signals left him feeling displaced and uneasy. Lust crumpled, falling off the arm of the couch and onto the floor in an undignified heap, head swimming with golden spots.

Dance, wobbling a little to the side, forced himself to stay upright. His eye was glowing a deep sapphire. "No. No, no no..!"

A moment later, Stretch ran in. "Was that the machine? Did it wo-" He stopped. "Where is it..?"

Red, right behind him, twitched. "Who moved th' goods?!"

"I'm not sure..." Lust murmured, pushing himself back onto his feet. "I didn't even see Comic flip the switch when- uh- Something-" He had trouble describing the event.

_The world stuttered._

Lust fell back over, dizzy. "THAT! That's the thing that happened!"

Slim braced himself against the wall, disoriented. "I don't like this..."

Stretch kept his footing, finding it was easier the second time around. "What's going on..?!"

Red clutched at his face, vision blurred and temper flaring. "I'm gonna kill it... Whatever it is, I'mma kill it..!"

"That would be counter productive..." Dance muttered, gritting his teeth. "We gotta get to the-"

_The world stuttered._

"-the Hall of Judgement..!" Dance gasped.

"Why there?!" Lust asked, still seeing spots. Dance didn't elaborate. With a snap, he was gone.

One by one, the others followed.

* * *

The skeletons were greeted by the sound of dissonant, maniacal laughter.

"Let's just get to the point." Comic's voice came, low and menacing.

In the middle of the hall, two figures were weaving back and forth in a jarring display of athleticism. One was Comic, who at this moment was throwing complex multi-wave patterns of bones at lightning speed, Gaster Blasters charging behind him. The other was a (small?) human (child?) in a striped sweater, who slipped past the bones with a practiced ease, their eyes gleaming red. As the child moved, Stretch swore they saw the colors flicker, their sweater changing from blue-and-purple to green-and-yellow, their hair shifting from a dark brown to a light one, before settling back again.

"C'mon now, comedian!" The child laughed, dodging the rapid fire from the blasters. "Didn't you miss me? I missed you!" The kid swung their gleaming knife at Comic, who just barely got out of the way. "But my aim is getting better..!"

Comic grinned at the kid, giving them a taunting wink. "What? You think I'm just gonna stand there and take it?"

The human jumped over the next volley of bones, grinning. "Tell me again, Sans. Tell me about your findings."

Sans sighed, jumping just out of reach of the child's knife. "Our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. Timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting... Until suddenly, everything ends." Sans looked at the kid, blinking out his eyelights to look menacing. "Heh heh heh... That's your fault, isn't it?" He leaned forward, columns of bones rushing out to crush the human.

The child giggled uncontrollably as they avoided every attack, moving effortlessly despite the BLUE Comic had gripping their soul. "You know it is, comedian!"

Comic glared at them, his bones rattling with anger he only barely kept in check. He couldn't afford to get riled up. If he lost focus, he'd be done for. Rolling out of the way of the human's next attack, Comic grit his teeth. "You can't understand how this feels." He had said it so many times before, but it seemed more true now than ever. "Knowing that one day, without any warning... it's all going to be reset."

The human's glowing red eyes glinted with exhilaration as they moved through the barrage Comic sent at them, their motions perfectly timed to avoid every hit. "Do you want me to RESET again? I can, you know. I can undo _everything_... I can even break the barrier for you! Wouldn't that be nice?" the child mocked, slashing down on Comic with even greater enthusiasm.

Comic rolled to the side, sighing. "Look. I gave up trying to go back a long time ago. And getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore. 'Cause even if we do..." Comic summoned Gaster Blasters on either side of the human, charging them for a rapid fire attack. "We'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?"

The child cackled, skipping almost lazily out of the way of the magical beams that burned through the air where they had been. "Well, _you'll_ remember, won't you, Sans? You always do! You remember _everything_..." For a moment, a dark, monstrous grin split their face as their eyes went black. " **And you know that no matter what you do, _nothing_ is going to make a difference!** " That creepy smile widened as they stabbed towards Comic's soul. "So you just _stopped caring_ , didn't you?"

Comic dove to the floor, rolling out of the way, sending another bone barrage at them as he pulled himself to his feet. "To be blunt..." he admitted, feeling a twinge of shame as the child's words hit home. "It makes it kind of hard to give it my all. Or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy..? Hell if I know."

The human laughed again, their features returning to a semblance of 'normal'. The red glow of their eyes returned. "It must be _just awful_ being so useless..!" They pealed in mock sympathy. "Do you even know why I'm doing this?" They landed on their feet and ran for Comic, slicing wildly.

Comic jumped back just in time, throwing another complicated attack pattern. "All I know is..." Comic spat, his grin strained on his face. "Seeing what comes next... I can't afford not to care anymore."

The child cackled, weaving effortlessly through the bones. They swung down on Comic with renewed vigor.

Comic slipped, falling backward and narrowly avoiding the strike. He kicked away from the child, pulling himself up with the aid of one of the pillars. Sweat beaded on his skull as he panted, his stamina depleted. "Ugh... that being said... You, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?"

The human child walked slowly towards Comic, sliding their finger teasingly along the edge of the dusty knife. Again, their image seemed to flicker, the colors flashing so fast it was hard to be certain. The red glow of their eyes seemed to intensify, delighting at the prospect of the impending violence.

Comic took a deep breath. He knew it rarely worked, but he had to try. Maybe he could get through to the kid. "Listen. Friendship. It's really great, right? Let's quit fighting."

The child's laughter echoed on the marble tiles. "Oh, Sans... Your brother was right: you really are a lazybones. Can't you even give me the whole script anymore?" They licked their blade, grinning. Again, their colors flickered. "That's fine. I remember it pretty well." Their voice took on a hint of something else, something distant. " _'Somewhere in there. I can feel it. There's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. Someone who, in another time, might have even been... A friend?'_ "

The child laughed manically, their voice becoming mockingly earnest as they mimicked Comic's linguistic tendencies. " _'C'mon buddy. Do you remember me? Please, if you're listening... Let's forget all this, ok? Just lay down your weapon, and...'_ "

The child raised their knife over their head, eyes flashing bright red. Their voice took on a dark quality as they swung down. " _'Well, my job will be **a lot easier**.'_ "

Comic was just about to throw himself out of the way, when the child was thrust roughly across the hall, smashing into the wall hard enough to break the nearest stain glass window.

"I've had enough of this bullshit," Red sneered, eye flickering brightly. "C'mon kiddo, try pulling that bullshit against someone with LOVE!"

The human slowly raised themselves to their feet, grinning. "I was wondering if you were going to show up..."

Red clicked his teeth, feeling a shiver of fear. Smirking, he took a stance. "Yer one creepy lil shit, ya know that?"

Slim skidded into place next to Red, CHECKing the human:

> "Chara"  
> ---  
> LV 19  
> HP 90 / 92  
> AT 36 (99) | EXP: 50000  
> DF 4 (99) | NEXT: 49999  
> WEAPON: Real Knife  
> ARMOR: The Locket  
> GOLD: 2500 | KILLED: 105  
  
Slim scowled, magic gathering in his hands. "Total AT: 135. Total DF: 103. Threat level: High." He didn't sound pleased.

Red snapped his fingers. Twenty Gaster Blasters appeared around the human. "Get Dunked On, pipsqueak!" They all fired. The human did not move fast enough. A blood curdling scream pierced the air. When the light subsided, the human was down, body burned almost black.

Red snickered. "Heh, 'High threat level' my ass..."

_The world stuttered._

Red clutched at his head, snarling in frustration as he fought to clear his vision. "WHAT THE FUCK KEEPS DOING THAT-" He heard the whistle as the blade flew through the air. His instincts kicked in, making him shortcut six feet back and to the side.

Then there was the sound of dissonant, maniacal laughter.

The human child cracked their neck. "Strong AND fast... This'll be fun!"

Red smirked. "I get the feelin' I'm gonna have a **G R E A T T I M E**."

"Get out of here. I'll handle the kid myself!" Comic snapped.

"If anything happens to you, there's no guarantee we'll be able to get home," Dance said, stretching. Music could be heard thrumming out from his soul, starting off soft, but gradually getting louder. "So that means this is our FIGHT too."

Lust flicked his wrist, purple and white bones shimmering into existence over his head. "If that kid is the only thing standing between us and home, then I guess we have to..." He didn't sound particularly convinced. "I wish there was another way..."

"You saw the kid..." Stretch sighed, bringing his own glowing orange bones out. "I don't think anything is gonna stop them..."

" _We're_ going to stop them," Slim corrected.

Comic smiled. "Well... if you insist..." He threw his initial attack at the human, eye glowing blue. " _Let's just get to the point._ "

* * *

The skeletons took turns so as not to negate each other's attacks.

Comic lead with the initial assault, which the human dodged with practiced ease. They laughed, their red eyes condescending as they swiped at Comic. "C'mon now, comedian! You can do better than that!" Comic jumped back with a mocking wink.

Then the human heard a high pitched rumbling from behind. Red barreled down on them (literally) with Gaster Blasters. The human, having already seen it before, did a backflip, jumping out of the way. They landed inches from Red, and spun around with the knife out, going for a kill shot. Red snapped his fingers, shortcutting to the other end of the room, a sour look on his face. The human smirked, holding up a piece of leather: they had cut Red's collar clean off. Red growled in indignation.

Without missing a beat, Slim lunged in for a close quarters assault, swiping at the child with what looked like a chainsaw made of magic and bone. The human's red eyes light up with delight, parrying the attack with their knife. Sparks flew from their interlocked weapons. The human started pressing, pushing the much larger monster back with strength that made Slim sweat. "I always loved the up close and personal approach," the human whispered. Then, with a cry of triumph, the human knocked Slim off balance, and lunged to deal the fatal blow. Comic took hold of the human's soul, throwing them back into a pillar. Slim skidded backwards, breathing hard.

As the child rose to their feet, giggling, Stretch held up his hand. "Don't hold this against me, kid..." He snapped his fingers, initiating an assault of red and blue bones in varying patterns. The human laughed, dodging some, being hit by others, as they staggered about in the midst of the new attack. Then they dived through an opening in the pattern, and slashed at Stretch. Stretch jumped back, but his hoodie was cut open. He touched the jagged, frayed edges of the material, right over where his soul hummed in his rib cage, and gulped. That had been too close.

Dance started tapping his foot. Then, snapping his fingers, the music of his soul was turned up full blast. "Let's dance, kiddo." As Dance broke out into an impressive routine (a fusion of beatbox and hiphop), various attacks came and went around him and the human. The human was hit by the first few, but it didn't take long before they caught on to the trick. Instead of set patterns, Dance's attacks were set to the music, his movements determining the speed, complexity, and shape of the strikes. Humming out of key with the music, the human began to crudely but effectively make their way toward Dance, swaying in time to the beat, avoiding the worst of the attacks. Then, with a swift motion, the child slashed at the skeleton. Dance spun around, doing a few flips to avoid the human's strike. The human grinned. This was a novelty they greatly enjoyed.

Dance came to a stop at the base of a pillar, his music fading. He was already sweating. "Huh. I always wondered why people never used their best moves first." His grin was strained. "Gotta admit, the kid's good."

Lust looked the human up and down. A quick CHECK revealed the child's HP had dropped down to 13 / 92. The human giggled, panting. They didn't seem the least bit put out by their injuries. "So... you're the last one... What are you gonna do, _Sans_?" Their eyes sparkled like blood.

Lust smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry, honey, but I'm a lover, not a fighter... So I'm gonna have to ask you to take it down a notch, 'k?"

The human cackled, and lunged forward. They took two steps, knife swinging wildly in front of them, then, with a cry of indignation, they crumpled to the floor. "What is this?!"

Lust smiled wider. "Oh dear, look at that. It seems some stray bones have severed your Calcaneal tendons... I don't think you'll be walking anytime soon... Such a shame!"

The human look down at the back of their legs. Sure enough, a glowing purple bone no bigger than a finger was lodged in each leg. Sputtering a wordless curse, they yanked out the bones and tried standing again. When their attempts were unsuccessful, they howled in frustration.

Lust yawned. "Welp, I did my part. I'm tagging out..." He pulled back, a cheeky grin on his face.

Comic cracked his knuckles. "Ya gotta teach me that trick later."

As Comic approached, the human went still. They looked up at Comic with a wide black grin, their colors flickering again. " **I know a trick too..!** " With that, the human plunged their knife into their own chest.

_The world stuttered._

* * *

The human resumed their attacks with enthusiasm. Now that they had seen everyone's fighting style, they were much harder to hit. The human was especially careful of Lust's attacks, which always targeted vital or vulnerable parts of the body, and Red's, who hit the hardest. By the third cycle, the child could consistently avoid Stretch's red attacks. By the forth cycle, they were able to match Dance step for step. By the fifth cycle, they knew Slim's moves well enough to counter them in moments. By the sixth cycle, the only one who could hit the human at all was Comic.

Stretch leaned back against a pillar, panting. "This is insane..."

Red sank to one knee, clawing at the floor. "This lil shit is askin' for it..!"

Slim leaned on his weapon, shaking from exhaustion. "We need a plan..."

Dance fell back, his legs giving out. "I can't even beat my own human... but this is so much worse..!"

Comic forced himself to stay on his feet, like he had done a hundred times before. "A plan... would be nice..."

Lust dodged the human's attacks, moving left and right to keep out of the way of the blade. He tried slitting the child's wrist, to make them drop the knife, but the child pulled their arm away just in time. The bone attack slid against the blade of the knife and dissipated. Lust jumped away, skidding to a halt next to Comic. "There is only one thing we haven't tried..." He whispered.

Comic caught sight of Lust's hand, which signed { _Tag Team_ }.

Stretch caught sight of it too. Coming up to Comic, he patted his arm reassuringly as they watched the human shamble closer. "It's worth a shot. We don't have anything to lose at this point."

Comic smiled. "Think you can keep up with me?"

Stretch smiled back. "I think I'll manage."

When the human lunged, they were met with a four-part wall of bones (red, blue, and white) that surged and undulated and criss-crossed. The human did their best to avoid the attacks, and did rather well, until Dance weaved his own attack in with a heavy bass beat. The human dodged one of Stretch's attacks, almost ran into Comic's, and while scrambling out of the way, was knocked off their feet and into the air by Dance's. Red and Lust took the queue and shot at them. The human twisted in the air, minimizing the damage from Red's Gaster Blasters to only their one shoulder; however, in doing so, they had fallen into Lust's trap. The Human's wrists and ankles were skewered, cutting off the usability of their hands and feet. The human cursed. They twisted in the air, angling so that their landing would snap their neck and allow them to RESET. Slim jumped up and caught them, foiling that plan as he pinned the human's arms behind their back.

The child struggled and hissed and snarled like someone possessed, even going so far as to try and bite Slim. Slim, of course, avoided this by using his much longer limbs to keep the human at a safe distance from anything vulnerable.

Comic wiped some sweat from his brow. "Well, uh... that was a thing."

Red smirked. Coming close to where the human was held, he snickered. "Not so tough without yer precious knife, are ya?"

Stretch scratched his maxilla thoughtfully. "So... what do we do with it now?"

Lust looked the child up and down. "Well..."

"I say we Dust it," Red offered, flexing his claws.

"It'll just do that thing where it comes back, though, won't it?" Slim said reasonably, twisting a little to keep the struggling child under control.

"We can't kill it. That's what it wants..." Dance sighed. "We'll have to keep it..."

Comic trembled. For the first time, he was agreeing with Red. This horrid creature had to be judged. And there was not a single thing it had done that suggested it deserved any MERCY. He looked at the child, and saw it staring back at him, those red eyes sparking with anticipation. It wanted to be killed. It EXPECTED to be killed. It DARED him to kill it.

Comic smiled amiably at the human. "We keep it!" The human howled its dissatisfaction. It was music to his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, this ended up going in a direction I did not expect, but I am filled with ideas of how to have fun with it.


	11. RESTART

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Lust proves to be the most knowledgeable about humans, and Comic steals donuts from some spiders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Chara" is pronounced "Care - ah" since it is a derivative of the word "character".
> 
> On another note: I want to thank all of you who have been commenting. I have had a really horrid loss, and all your support is helping me get through it. I am just blown away by the wonderful community I found myself in here at AO3, just when I seem to need it.
> 
> So thank you.
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter.

The skeletons brought the human back to Comic's house. Slim sat down on the couch with it, holding it firmly in his lap. Lust went into the kitchen and came back out with a rag and a bowl of water.

"Whats that for?" Dance asked, curious. He sat on the floor, eyeing the human.

"To tend to the human's injuries," Lust replied, setting the bowl down on the floor by Slim's feet. "If you want to keep it, you had best get something to tie it up with. We can't leave it like this."

"Why the hell not?" Red asked sharply.

Lust looked at him funny. "Because if we do it will die..? I thought the whole point was to avoid that..?"

"Why would it die? It's HP is still in the double digits..." Slim seemed as confused as the rest of them.

Lust looked at them, shocked. "Don't you know? Human's have terribly fragile bodies! If they break, their HP won't keep them from dying!"

"You mean their body is separate from their magic?" Dance asked, incredulously.

Lust rubbed his face, feeling frustrated. "Yes. Thats why they are human. And not monsters."

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Makes sense. Guess I didn't think about it. Not like I have a lot of experience with humans... Well, other than this one..." he gave the human a knowing look. They stuck their tongue out at him defiantly.

"Err... How d' ya know so much 'bout humans?" Red asked, rummaging in his pocket.

"It isn't like I've never seen one before..." Lust began carefully cleaning the human's injuries. The human hissed in discomfort, but didn't fuss.

"Oho! An' here I thought ya were unblooded!" Red dumped two long leather cords next to Lust. "That'll work, right?"

Lust picked one up, testing it. "Yeah, perfect!" He looped one around the human's legs just above the knee, pulling the leather tight. With a deft motion, Lust had the human's legs tied together. He then pealed off the human's shoes and socks, carefully examining the injuries on their ankles. The holes were bleeding. Ignoring the fit of nausea that tried to overtake him, Lust placed his hands over the wounds and forced them to mend. Slim watched with fascination. When it was done, the human rolled their ankles experimentally.

Lust pulled away looking the human over. "Now the arms..."

Slim looked at Red. "If you hold one, I can hold the other."

Red sniffed disdainfully. "I don't wanna touch that thing!"

Stretch came over and sat next to Slim, taking hold of one of the human's arms both above and below the elbow. Slim let go of it, and gripped the other arm. The two skeletons then held the human, arms pulled taunt out on either side, between them on the couch. The human struggled, trying to wretch away. Stretch grunted, straining to keep his grip. "Strong little fella..."

The human grinned, their eyes shining red. "Papyrus? It's been _so long_ , it feels like. How's your neck?" Their smile widened as they howled in laughter. Comic had a dark look on his face, his bones clacking together as he shook.

Stretch raised an eyebrow ridge as Lust took hold of the human's wrist and began to heal. "A little stiff I guess," He replied, trying to be polite. This only made the human laugh harder.

" **I can fix that!** " They managed to get out between wheezed breaths.

Comic gripped the human's shirt, looming. "We don't need your kind of help, got it kiddo?" His voice was low and dark and strained as much as his smile.

"I suppose he isn't the _real_ Papyrus, anyway... After all, the _real_ Papyrus never had _the guts_ to fight back! Did he, Sans? And now, **he doesn't have the _head_ for it, either!** " The human's colors seem to flicker as the laughed harder. Comic ground his teeth, his eye glowing blue.

Lust backed away, picking up the second leather cord. "Ok, now, can you pin them face down on the floor?"

"Gladly," Comic snarled. He gripped the human's soul with BLUE magic, and with a degree of force that was probably unnecessary, slammed them face down onto the carpet. The child had the wind knocked out of them. Slim immediately jumped down and gripped the human's arms. Lust looped the cord around the other arm, and with Slim's help managed to tie the human's arms behind them.

The human wriggled and squirmed against their bindings, making soft noises of effort. Red smirked. "Y'know, I think that look suits 'm!"

Slim pulled out a few leather cords from his own pockets and reinforced the bindings, doubling up on the arms and tying the human's ankles together to limit their flailing. Lust sat back on the couch, tired.

Dance gripped the human by the hair, pulling them up into a sitting position on their knees. "What do we do with it now?"

"I have a name, asshole," the human hissed.

"What I'm more worried about is the machine. It's completely gone..." Stretch sighed, holding his face. He was suddenly so tired.

"That's what happens when the brat RESETS," Comic said, sounding even more tired. "Everything gets undone. There might as well have never been a machine."

" **I _have_ a _name_!** " The human snarled. It did not like being ignored.

"So what th' hell 're we s'pose t' do?!" Red snapped, clicking his teeth.

"Start over, I suppose..." Slim yawned. "Not much else we _can_ do, right?"

"That means scavenging for parts..." Dance said dejectedly.

Comic shrugged. "Well, I can't say nothin' about the stuff we got from elsewhere, but all the parts we found here should be back where they were before. We should be able to find those again no problem."

"That's somethin' I guess..." Red muttered.

The silence that followed was pierced by a loud grumbling.

"WOAH!" Comic exclaimed, laughing. "Who's hungry?!"

"I can't even think about eating..." Stretch sighed, rubbing his face.

"Same." Slim said, lighting a cigarette.

"Not me," Red responded.

"Me either," said Dance.

"I couldn't keep anything down, thanks," Lust sighed.

Comic stopped. "Well, if it isn't you guys, and it isn't me..." He looked at the human. "...It must be the brat."

The human flushed pink. "I-I _have_ a _name_!" It snapped indignantly. "And I'm _not_ hungry, so mind your own business!"

Lust sat up. "Humans _do_ need to eat regularly, or they starve to death..."

Red snickered. "Too bad, brat, looks like yer body betrayed ya this time!"

The human trembled indignantly. " **I _have_ a _name_!** It's 'Chara'! 'Chara'!!"

Comic grinned, winking at Chara smugly. "Yeah, we know. We just don't _Chara_ -bout using it!"

Chara froze. Their face became unreadable.

Stretch snickered. "That was a _sans_ ational pun!"

Slim covered his mouth, a grin creeping across his face. "Name puns? Really? That's a _stretch_ even coming from you!"

The child's head slumped down, hiding their face. Their shoulders began shaking. A soft noise escaped them.

Lust snickered. "All things considered, this theme leaves us with _slim_ pickings!"

The human child's shaking intensified.

"With our il _lust_ rious histroy, I think we'll manage!" Red exclaimed, choking back a gruff laugh.

Dance pulled his hoodie up, hiding his face as his body shook in silent laughter, releasing his grip on the human. "That was inc _red_ able..!"

Comic sat back, holding his ribs as he laughed. "See? There's quite the abun _dance_ of them!"

The human couldn't contain it anymore. Throwing their head back, eyes squeezed shut as tears formed in the corners, they burst into laughter. But this wasn't like the laughter from before. It was lighter, softer, more genuinely happy. There were no echoes of something darker, no jarring changes in pitch or timbre. Just the heartwarming laughter of a child.

The skeletons were stunned into silence by the obvious difference.

Eventually, the human calmed down. They shook, tears streaming down their face, biting their lip to to keep it from quivering. Their submissive, almost apologetic posture was a stark contrast to the proud defiant one from moments before.

"Did we break it..?" Slim asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Dance pulled away from the child. "I-I don't know..."

"I think it was broken when we got it," Red snorted.

The child shook it's head to try and shake the tears off its face. It shifted uncomfortably, pointedly not looking at anyone. It's stomach grumbled again, louder this time. The skeletons were reminded of the issue at hand.

"So, uh, what do humans even eat?" Stretch asked.

"Monster food serves well enough, so long as they get fed regularly," Lust said.

"I've seen the kid scarf down Muffet's pastries. I'll go see if there are any left..." Comic snapped his fingers and disappeared.

The moment Comic left, the human became nervous. They looked around the room at the others, careful not to make eye contact. Unfortunately, as they turned to look back at Red, they lost their balance and fell over, landing on their side with a yelp. Dance watched it happen without sympathy or concern, his bias against the human obvious.

Stretch got off the couch, coming closer. "Are you sure the human is... alright..? It is acting strange..."

"It was strange before," Red muttered.

Stretch reached to help the child upright. The child rent rigid under his touch, trembling and whimpering. "It seems... different..?" Stretch picked up the kid by the waist, inspecting it. The child refused to look at him directly, shaking like a leaf in his hands. The human was about the size of Comic, so Stretch had a good two feet on them at the least. They were significantly heavier than a skeleton, though, so Stretch ended up needing to use BLUE magic to hold them up at eye level with him. The sensation made the human gasp in shock, but they didn't struggle. Something nagged at Stretch's soul, but he couldn't place it.

"It's quiet. I like it better this way," Dance said irritably.

Stretch sighed. Sitting back on the couch, he placed the human next to him. The human shifted a little, pulling themselves as far from Stretch as possible, wriggling themselves into the nook of the couch where the arm and back met. Stretch watched them, noting how their eyes were now the narrowest of slits, how their shoulders sagged, how they occasionally glanced around the room as if looking for something. Bits of dust were shaken off their cloths and onto the couch. Stretch could see the grit embedded into the material, muting it's once vibrant colors. He could see the splatters of blood that had long since dried, and the splatters that were still damp. Every bit of evidence pointed to this being the merciless creature that had single-handedly made the Underground go empty. Everything, of course, except the human's body language.

"I'm going to scavenge," Dance said, taking a shortcut to the dump. He couldn't stand being in the same room with the human at the moment.

Red sneered. "I'm out. Call me when we have shit t' build." He went to the shed. Slim paused a moment to look at the human before following. Babysitting wasn't really either of their fortes. That left Stretch and Lust to keep their eyes on the human.

Comic came back, arms filled with a large brown bag. He noted the absence of the other three without comment, not particularly surprised. Coming over to the kid, he reached inside his goody bag and pulled out a purple glazed Spider Donut. Wiggling it in front the child's face, he winked mischievously. "Ya gonna eat it yourself, or do I have to force-feed you?"

The child looked up at Comic, licked their lips, and carefully leaned forward. Comic kept his arm tense, ready to pull away if the human decided to bite the hand that fed them. The human, however, took great care to avoid Comic's fingers as they dug hungrily into the donut. Comic watched, studying the child as they chewed and swallowed. The child finished their first bite, and leaned forward to take another, before flinching back. They looked up at Comic as if for permission. Comic frowned. This was not the behavior he had been expecting. He spun the donut around so the child could get to the uneaten parts more easily. The human took that as confirmation, taking another bite.

The human ended up eating the whole donut, pulling the last bite gently from Comic's fingers and sucking it down. They licked their lips to get the crumbs, wriggling back into the couch. They looked up at Comic, opening their mouth to say something. Although their mouth moved, no sound came out. Their lip quivered, and suddenly something snapped and they started sobbing, their tiny body shaking.

Comic stood back, scratching at his maxilla, unsure of his emotions. Stretch instinctively reached out to comfort the child, but he pulled his hand back when they flinched away. Lust watched with an unreadable expression.

Comic took a few steps back, then turned and took the bag of food to the kitchen. He put it down on the counter, letting out a shuddered breath. His none existent stomach was in knots. He forced himself to calm down. After all, it could just be a trick. Stuffing his hands back into his jacket, he walked back into the livingroom.

The human had gone quiet again, although they continued to shake. Stretch looked at Comic. "Is this normal behavior?" He asked with obvious concern.

"Thats debatable..." Comic replied.

"Humans don't just suddenly shift personalities," Lust chimed in, shifting his position so he was sitting cross legged facing Stretch and the human. "Either we're missing something, or the kid has serious issues..."

"Being a genocidal crackpot doesn't count as a serious issue?" Comic said, his voice tense as he forced a tinge of humor into it.

Something dawned on Stretch. "Is this what you meant before," he asked quietly.

"Before..?" Comic asked, taken aback.

"In the kitchen... You said, 'Sometimes the kid isn't all that bad,' or something..." Stretch clutched at his hoodie, pulling the hole that had been sliced through it shut. "Is this what you meant?"

Comic looked away, his shoulders heaving in tired sigh. "It's... complicated... It's just-"

"It's my fault." The soft voice interrupted.

Stretch looked down sharply at the human.

"It's my fault," The human said again, head bowed. "I couldn't- I didn't stop it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop it. I- I hurt everyone..." They were shaking again. "I broke my promise... I made you break _your_ promise... I ruined everything..." Tears streamed down their face, dripping off their cheek and landing softly on their lap. "I'm so sorry, Sans..."

Comic took hold of the human's face, flicking their tears away with his thumb as he made them look up at him. "Is that you, kid?" His voice was raspy, choking back emotions he couldn't afford to let loose. "...Frisk?"

The human threw themselves into Comic's chest, burying their face in the skeleton's shirt. They broke down into racking sobs, the cries only broken by the occasional hiccup and the words 'I'm sorry', repeated over and over with such genuine earnestness and passion and grief that it ripped through every defense Comic had around his heart. He took hold of the human, stroking their hair with a tenderness that equaled, if not exceeded, the ferocity with which he had been attacking them not an hour before.

"Please... While I'm still me..." The human pleaded.

Comic clutched the human tighter. "Heh... shit..." He took a deep breath.

"If we're really friends..."

There was the sharp noise of magic. A large white bone protruded from the human's back. The human coughed, blood spewing from their mouth and onto Comic. They smiled, their tears mixing with the blood dripping down their chin as they took their last few shuddering breaths.

"You won't come back."

_The world stuttered._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * smells like Frans on the horizon (?)


	12. The New Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything goes back to zero, and Lust notices something about Comic. A dog makes a brief appearance too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nostalgic lines ahead (if you've ever played the Pacifist Run). Also Shameless fluff.

"SANS!" The shrill voice pierced the air as something began to pound against a hard surface.

Stretch braced himself on the couch, still disoriented. Comic and the human were gone, as was the dust that had fallen from the human's cloths. Stretch clutched at hoodie, forcing his breathing to even out. The rip was gone, as if it had never been.

"SANS!" The voice came again. "WAKE UP! IT'S TIME TO GO TO WORK!"

As Stretch blinked the last of the spots from his eyes, he looked up. There, on the landing of the second floor, was a tall skeleton in a uniform that echoed his own brother's Battle Body. Around his neck hung a familiar looking red scarf. The skeleton pounded on Comic's door again, a little harder this time. "SANS! ARE YOU LISTENING?!"

After another moment, the door opened. Comic came out, the biggest, most heartwarming grin flush on his face. His eyelights sparkled with relief and joy as he looked up at his younger brother. "Yeah, bro. I'm listening." His voice seemed to crack a little with emotion. His face was flushed slightly, and there was still a bit of moisture clinging to the rim of his left eye socket, glistening in the light.

"Sans..?" 'Papyrus' knelt down, giving Comic a hug. "You had another bad dream..?"

"Heh, is it that obvious..?" Comic returned the hug, nuzzling into his brother's shoulder. "Then again, you always _see right through me,_ don't ya?"

"SANS!" 'Papyrus' sputtered. "DON'T START MY DAY WITH YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES!"

Comic laughed, warm and heartily. "Aw, c'mon, you know you love me!"

"YOU, YES! BUT NOT YOUR JOKES!" 'Papyrus' let go, standing back up straight. "HOWEVER, NOW THAT YOU ARE UP, IT IS TIME TO GO LOOK FOR HUMANS!" With a 'NYEH HEH HEH!' he bounded down the stairs, only to come to a screeching halt upon seeing Stretch and Lust on his couch.

'Papyrus' looked at Stretch. Stretch looked back. They both looked at Lust at the same time, for completely different reasons. Lust smiled broadly, waving at 'Papyrus' by wiggling his fingers. 'Papyrus' did a double take. Then-

"SANS!"

Comic came down the stairs calmly. "Yeah, bro? What's wrong?"

"WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" 'Papyrus' turned, his gloved hands clawing at the air in front of him in a show of frustration. "STOP PLAYING PRANKS ACROSS TIME AND SPACE! YOU KNOW I HATE IT!"

"I'm not, bro."

"THEN WHY ARE THERE CLONES OF US ON OUR COUCH?!"

"They aren't clones," Comic said reasonably, his grin never leaving his face. "They are us from other universes."

"BUT WHY ARE THEY ON OUR COUCH?!"

"Because it's more comfortable than the floor?"

"NO! I MEAN WHY ARE THEY IN OUR HOUSE?!"

"Because it's cold outside?"

"NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!! SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANS!!!"

At this moment, Dance chose to return to the livingroom, his teeth clenched in irritation. When the RESET had happened, he had immediately thought something had gone wrong, and had gone back to the hall to beat the human back into submission. Getting there and finding nobody, he came back to the house.

'Papyrus' looked at him, then back at Comic. "HOW MANY ARE THERE?!"

"Five," Comic admitted.

"SANS!!!" 'Papyrus' took a deep breath, then he scooped up Lust with a practiced ease and nestled him under one arm. Lust, being taken completely by surprise, hung there limp. 'Papyrus' turned back to face Comic. "FIRST I'M FINDING THIS POOR SKELETON SOME DECENT CLOTHS, THEN WE'RE GOING TO WORK! INTER-DIMENSIONAL GUESTS ARE NOT AN EXCUSE FOR LAZINESS!" With that, and some more 'NYEH HEH HEH's, he bounded up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Lust, for his part, didn't argue when he was stuffed into an oversized orange turtleneck sweater that hung down to his ankles; nor did he argue when he was scooped back up and carried back down to be placed back on the couch, still wearing said sweater, where the others could see him.

'Papyrus' stood back, admiring his accomplishment. "NYEH HEH HEH! NOW YOU WILL BE WARM AND COMFORTABLE WHILE YOU WAIT FOR SANS AND MYSELF TO FINISH WORK! YOU WILL FIND PLENTY OF SPAGHETTI IN THE KITCHEN IF YOU GET HUNGRY! PLEASE MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME!" He grabbed Comic, throwing him over his shoulder with casual motions that implied it was a regular occurrence, and bounded out the door. "NYEH HEH HEH! I AM SUCH A GOOD HOST!"

Comic, very much used to being carried around, wasn't the least perturbed. "Bye guys," he said with a wave before the door shut.

Dance stared after them. "I was going to ask about the human, but..."

"Comic's brother is quite the whirlwind, isn't he..?" Lust said, smiling despite himself.

"Well, he certainly _blew me away_ , thats for sure..." He looked Lust up and down. "Nice sweater."

Lust blushed, pulling the neck up to hide his face. "It's a loan..." Lust didn't much like the style (it was not sexy), but it was indeed warm, and it smelled nice. He could almost pretend he was at home, sitting in his own brother's lap, feeling safe and loved. The sensation was soothing, so much so it eased the soft fire that was starting to once again bite at his soul. So, instead of taking it off, he curled his legs up so he could fit his whole body in the embrace of the sweater, and settled back on the couch. Stretch thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. He couldn't stop himself from pulling out his phone and snapping a quick picture. Lust heard the click, looked up from his daydreaming, saw the phone in Stretch's hand, and blushed harder.

Red came into the house with Slim, looking annoyed. They had heard 'Papyrus' screaming from the shed, and, not sensing any magic being thrown about, sat back to let events unfold. Now that it was over, though, they wanted a proper explanation. Especially Red, who growled, "Talk. Right fuckin' now."

Stretch smiled, leaning back. "The human died. The 'reset' thing took us back to before Comic's bro died. That was him screaming."

Red, stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Figures..."

Slim leaned back into the wall. "So, where did the pumpkin come from?" He pointed at Lust.

Stretch smirked. "A gift from this universe's 'Papyrus'. Isn't is cute?"

"You have the weirdest kinks, I swear," Lust was torn between amusement and embarrassment. But, given how relaxed he felt, being surrounded by the nice smelling sweater, he decided he didn't mind.

This was a good day.

* * *

Comic signed contentedly, enjoying the familiar sensation of his brother carrying him briskly through the cold Snowdin air. He watched the townspeople bustle back and forth, talking cheerfully as they went about their morning routines. They were alive. Papyrus was alive. Everything was back to normal, back to zero.

Despite the pointlessness of it, he was thankful. Comic couldn't ask for more.

Papyrus put Sans down once they were outside Snowdin. "NOW HURRY TO YOUR STATION! I'M GOING TO CHECK ON MY PUZZLES!"

Sans smiled. "Sure thing." He went in deep enough that Papyrus couldn't see him, then took a shortcut to the sentry station by the gate. Comic sighed into his chair, looking at his phone. The change in the morning routine hadn't altered their arrival time. That made his job easier. With a yawn, Comic set his alarm so he would wake up in time to break the branch.

* * *

The alarm went off.

Comic yawned, stretching. Turning the alarm off, he smacked his face a few times to calm the fluttering in his soul. This was just the routine greeting. It simply set the stage for the kid to continue forward. Nothing more.

Comic took the shortcut, broke the branch, then disappeared into the trees. He saw the human look around, startled by the noise. He grinned. That was a good sign.

When the human approached the gate bridge, Comic moved in. "Human," he began, in his most ominous voice. He saw the way the human's body tensed, and smiled as he held his hand out. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

Slowly, the human turned around and took hold of his in their own. The loud noise that issued forth broke the tension that both had felt. Comic couldn't suppress his chuckling. "Heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's ALWAYS funny." He pulled his hand away, looking the human up and down. Not a speck of dust anywhere. He sighed in relief. It was Frisk.

The human opened their mouth to say something, but Comic cut them off. "Anyways, you're a human, right? That's hilarious." He couldn't afford for the kid to throw off the time table. If even one thing went wrong, it would mean another RESET. And that carried risks. So he just kept talking, pushing his nervousness down with the familiarity of his own words. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton." He knew the introduction was redundant. "I'm actually supposed to be on the watch for humans right now. But..." He looked up at the human's face. "Y'know..." His heart seemed to skip a beat. Comic clenched his fists. No, now was not the time. He forced his smile back on his face. "I don't really care about capturing anybody."

The human took a step forward, taking a sharp breath. "S-sans, I-"

Comic cut them off again. "Now my brother, Papyrus... He's a human-hunting FANATIC." Then, right one queue, Sans heard the distant crunch of approaching footsteps in the snow. Perfect timing. "Hey, actually, I think that's him over there. I have an idea. Go through this gate thingy." The human didn't move, still looking at Comic as they clutched their little stick to their chest. Comic gave them a gentle but firm shove. "Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone."

The human had to be pushed all the way through the gate and into the clearing where his sentry station rested. They were finally jolted out of their thoughts when they heard the crunch of snow from up ahead. Comic gave them one last push. "Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp." The human finally moved, ducking behind the lamp.

Papyrus stepped into sight. Comic shifted into a more relaxed stance. This was the easy part. "'Sup, bro?"

Papyrus leered at him. "YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP,' BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T...  
RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?"

Comic smiled. He had stopped caring about his 'puzzles' a long time ago, but every few day Papyrus would check on them while he was adjusting his own. It still amazed him a little that, in the true time of the world, it had only been eight days. In reality, to Comic, it had probably been years. It was a little unnerving to think about. Tilting his head to one side and indicating the human's hiding spot, Comic answered his brother. "Staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?"

Papyrus stomped his foot in frustration. "NO!! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?! I WANT TO BE READY!!! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!" Papyrus posed, half daydreaming at this point, his scarf billowing in the wind dramatically behind him. Comic always loved seeing his brother like that, lost in the happiness of his dream. "THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT... RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, 'FRIEND?' I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING."

Comic leaned back on his heals, pretending to think. "Hmm... maybe this lamp will help you."

Papyrus was brought out of his happy thoughts, and stomped his foot again. "SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERYDAY!!!"

Comic smirked. "Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a _ton_ of work done today. A skele- _ton_. He winked mischievously.

"SANS!!!"

"Come on. you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus let out a dejected sigh. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME... HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION..."

Comic smirked again. "Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself... _down to the bone_." He couldn't stop himself from making finger guns to punctuate his humor.

"UGH!!!" Papyrus threw up his hands in exasperation. "I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES... AS FOR YOUR WORK?" He grinned, his voice getting a little more excited. "PUT A LITTLE MORE, 'BACKBONE' INTO IT!!!! NYEHEHEHEHEHE HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!" As Papyrus left, Comic heard one final, "HEH!" echo over the snow.

Comic let out a breath. That had gone perfectly. He eyed the lamp. "Ok, you can come out now." The human crawled out from behind the lamp, brushing show from their blue pants. They looked at Sans as they approached him, twiddling the stick in their hands nervously.

When the human made no move to continue, Comic sighed. "You oughta get going. He might come back."

The human stepped forward, gripping onto Comic's shirt, and with a swift motion pressed their lips against his teeth. Comic froze, his soul thrumming violently in his ribcage. He felt his magic gather in his cheeks, turning him a bright blue. The shock made it impossible for him to move, one way or another. All his focus zoned into the feeling of the human's soft skin, their warmth, their smell.

After a long, intimate moment, the human pulled away.

Comic sucked in a jagged breath, not realizing he had been holding it. "K-kid..!" He tugged at the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling warm despite the snow.

The human smiled shyly. "I- I..." They twirled their finger in their short brown hair, playing with it delicately. Comic swallowed, entranced by the simple motion for a reason he couldn't put into words. "I'll get it right this time..." The human had always been better at expressing their feelings through actions than words, but to Comic, those few soft words, twinkling in his acoustic canals like bells, meant the world.

Comic took a step back, unable to take his eyes off the human. "T-thanks a million." He inwardly kicked himself. That was hardly the way to respond to something like _that_. "I'll be up ahead." Comic went a little too quickly back into the trees, taking a shortcut to the river. He splashed himself a few times, trying to calm down his pounding soul, to quell the sudden heat in his bones. After pulling himself back together, he shortcut to his position with his brother. There were still parts he needed to play.

* * *

Comic found himself keeping a close eye on the human. He always stayed behind after his brother left to ready the next puzzle, drinking in the image of the human standing in the falling snow. He kept thinking that, surrounded by the glittering white of Snowden, the human looked like an angel trailing feathers in their wake. He watched them as they completed one puzzle after another, teased them by shortcutting back and forth along the path. He even pretended to sell fried snow to them, just to engage them in conversation. The laugh he managed to coax out of them was well worth the effort. As he watched them enter Snowden Town, he felt a sense of pride he couldn't place.

Then Comic remembered what happens next: Papyrus's Date. He took a shortcut to the house. "Ok, everyone get in the shed."

Dance looked away from the TV, blinking. He had been trying to watch MTT TV, but had become bored out of his mind and started dozing. "Hmm?"

"Why?" Stretch asked.

"Because my bro is about to bring someone home," Comic said flatly.

"OOOH! A date?" Lust got excited. "Who is it? Can I join in?"

"Kinda, the human, and no," Comic answered. "Now, the shed? Please?"

Stretch sighed. "Alright. The edgelords should be in there right now." He snapped his fingers and was gone.

Dance stood up, stretching. "If you insist..." He followed suit.

Lust didn't move. "You look less than happy about it..." He said, a tinge of amusement in his voice.

Comic opened the front door, whistling. "About what?" He asked more as a reflex than because he was actually listening.

"About your brother's date," Lust replied, getting to his feet.

Comic watched as a little white dog trotted into the house. He then opened the cupboard under the sink and let the dog settle inside with the large bone stored there. Closing the door, Comic looked back at Lust, who had followed him to watch. "I don't have any feelings about it one way or the other," he lied.

"Which is why you look like you just swallowed your brother's cooking," Lust retorted. "Also, what's with the dog?"

Comic shrugged. "Wanna find out?" He took Lust's arm and took a shortcut to his bedroom. Comic then dug a trombone out of his drawer and sat next to the door. "Now we wait."

Some time passed, then Lust heard voices from downstairs. He couldn't make them all out, but then he heard 'Papyrus'.

"IMPRESSED? I INCREASED THE HEIGHT OF MY SINK. NOW I CAN FIT MORE BONES UNDER IT! TAKE A LOOKSY!"

There was the soft noise of the door opening. Then the dog barked.

"WHAT!?!?" Papyrus shrieked. "CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!" The dog must have escaped, because the next thing Lust heard was, "CURSES!!!"

Comic grinned smugly. "That's my queue..!" He stuck his head out the door, and without missing a beat, played a comedic line on his trombone, then retreated back into his room.

"SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!!!" Papyrus called up from downstairs.

Lust looked down at the giggling skeleton. "Really? You set up the dog up just for that?"

Comic stood up, placing his instrument back into the drawer. "Maybe..."

Papyrus's voice drifted up the stairs. "THAT'S MY ROOM! IF YOU'VE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND... WE COULD GO IN AND... DO WHATEVER PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY DATE???"

Comic's grin faded. "Well, no point sticking around here..." He snapped his fingers and went to the shed.

Lust followed, thinking about what he had seen, and what it meant.

* * *

When they got to the shed, it was filled with smoke. Slim and Red had been nursing a few cigarettes for a while, and when Stretch arrived, he took one offered to him. Dance kept himself outside the oversized bars, away from the source of the smoke, a look of distaste on his face. Comic joined him, but Lust, unperturbed, went in and sat down near Stretch.

"So th' human's back," Red growled.

"Yeah," Lust said, eyeing Comic. "They're apparently in the house right now, with Comic's brother..."

Slim blew smoke, a thoughtful look on his face. "So what's the plan?"

"Get the parts, build the machine, and go home. Same as before," Dance replied.

"I meant about dealing with the human," Slim corrected. "Do we leave them alone? Will they interfere?"

"The kid won't be doing any resets for a while. At least, not unless they get killed..." Comic sighed. "Of course, Undyne always seems to give the kiddo trouble..." His voice was tense with something that sounded like worry. Worry for what, none of them were sure of, except Lust.

Red stood up, cracking his neck. "Then there's only one way t' fix it, ain't there?" He grinned. "I'll take care of it." He disappeared.

Dance rolled his shoulders. "So we should probably think about where to scavenge..."

"The only worlds not picked clean were mine, Lust's, and Red's..." Slim said, unsure of how to feel about it.

"We can go back to my place first, then," Lust offered.

"I think it's worth going back to every universe. We might have missed something the first time around, plus garbage is always coming in," Stretch said.

"You aren't wrong..." Dance admitted.

"So should we cycle through like before?" Comic asked.

"That sounds fair," Stretch replied. "That makes me first, right? Perfect."

Then the shed door opened.

* * *

Red leaned against the outside of the shed. Clicking his teeth, he took a deep breath. The air was clear, lacking the familiar grit and bitterness of Dust on the wind. It was pleasant, but unsettling. Red kept looking over his shoulder whenever he heard the crunch of something in the snow, but nothing ever came close. He swore he saw something yellow out of the corner of his eye, just out of sight, but nothing ever came of it.

Eventually, the door of the house burst open. Out ran Papyrus, laughing, his scarf billowing behind him as he dashed passed Red and out toward Waterfall. Red was caught off guard by the look on his face; the smile, the warmth in his eye lights, the genuine happiness and optimism that he exuded as if it were tangible. This was nothing like the 'Papyrus' that Red knew as his brother. As he watched Papyrus disappear into the distant fog, Red began to wonder if the world was what made 'Papyrus' who he was, or if it was 'Papyrus' who made the world. Regardless, it was clear to him that the laws of the Underground were reflected in the personality of the impressionable skeleton, no matter what universe.

A few moments later, Red heard the door open again. The human came out, a smile of satisfaction on their face. They leaned against the door, closing it behind them with a soft click, looking thoughtfully at their little outdated cellphone, admiring the new number in their contacts.

Then the human heard the thump as Red thrust their hand on the door, just to the side of their head. The human looked up, startled. Red loomed over them, standing a few inches taller, pressing his body closer to pin the human against the door, blocking off all escape. Using his other hand, Red pulled the cigarette from between his teeth and flicked it into the snow. "Hey there, sweetheart, hows about you an' I have a lil chat?"

The human felt blood rush to their face. It was all they could do not to drop their phone. They felt their heart race, unsure if it was from fear or something else. All they knew was that the skeleton in front of them was very, very close.

Red looked them up and down. Now that he was closer, he saw there was something different about the human than before. They no longer showed any sign of having been in a fight, except for a few shallow scrapes on their knees. Their cloths were as free of dust as the air around them.

Red clicked his teeth, looking back at their face. "Do as I say, an' I won't hav'ta break nothin'," he growled. To his amusement, the human gave a few quick nods, stuffing their phone into their pocket. Red pulled out the leather cord which had been returned to him on the last RESET. "Hold out your hands."

The human hesitated, but then put their hands in front of them, palms out. Red quickly tied them up, giving the cord a rough yank. The human yelped, taken by surprise by the pain. They pulled back reflexively, trying to shake the leather bindings off. Red pulled tighter, dragging the human's hands over their head. "None o' that," he hissed, getting close to their face, making his eye blaze threateningly. "Listen kiddo, we have shit t' do, an' I ain't doin' more work than I hav'ta, capiche? So, _you_ are gonna sit nice an' quiet, not doing anything, until we're _all_ done. Understand?"

The human got more and more flustered as Red continued speaking, their face almost as red as his eye. Red didn't understand the response (usually when he talked like this, people LOST color, not gained it) but he found he enjoyed seeing the change. It put him in a good mood. The human nodded in response to his question, letting their body go slack against the leather cords. Red smirked, and pulled back, dragging the human towards the shed.

With a chuckle, Red kicked the shed door open and yanked hard on the leather cord, sending the human staggering forward inside, where they lost their footing and fell to the floor at Comic's feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell what my OTP is?


	13. Humans and Monsters (Pt 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Papyrus is helpful, some flirting is exchanged, and Stretch gets hit in the face with an emotional brick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My time table for this story was thrown back a bit because I had to write some shameless smut (which i publish here on AO3 if you care lol).
> 
> I wanted to update fast, so it is kinda short (again). Sorry not sorry.

Comic looked down at the human on the floor as Red came into the shed, closing the door behind him. Red grinned smugly. "Problem solved."

Comic leered at him. "This was unnecessary," he said darkly, kneeling down to help the human stand. He placed his hands on either arm, gripping them by the shoulders, and pulled them gently to their feet.

Dance watched, jaw clenched. He couldn't be certain how he felt about it. On the one hand, he was pleased that the human was now where they could keep an eye on them. On the other, he thought Red might have been a bit heavy handed. Then again, it wasn't like this was _his_ human, so he shouldn't really care. Furthermore, the human had hardly done much to deserve his pity. Dance clenched his fist in his pockets. It wasn't fair: he shouldn't have to care about the little brat.

The human got up without much fuss, their fingers wrapping around the cord that hung down from their wrists. Comic could see that their wrists were already turning pink underneath the leather, little discolored lines and indentations starting to form across the delicate skin. He reached out and took hold of their arm, pulling it so he could inspect further. The human smiled weakly. "I-it's ok. Really. I don't mind if it makes you guys feel better..." 

Red snickered. "What? Think I can't tie a knot? That ain't comin' off without usin' somethin' sharp." He sank back down into the dog bed.

"So, we're still keeping the human, then?" Slim drawled, twirling his cigarette between his fingers.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Stretch said lazily. "Keeping it alive is the idea, isn't it, Comic?"

"Uh, yeah..." Comic responded, not paying much attention. He had slid one of his phalanges under the leather of the human's bindings, checking to make sure it wasn't too tight. The human went rigid, a shiver going up and down their body at the contact. Comic pulled away, letting the human go with almost unnoticeable reluctance. The human stumbled back into the wall, leaning into it for support as though they were suddenly having trouble standing. Comic pointedly avoided looking at them.

Lust smirked, watching the two from over the edge of the orange sweater he was still swaddled in. He was beginning to understand the dynamic these two had. It was amusing. It made Lust want to meddle.

"First things first," Dance began, interrupting Lust's thoughts. "We need to go back to the dump here and get what we can.

"So who watches the human?" Slim asked. "We obviously can't take them with us, and we can't leave them alone."

"I'll do it," Stretch said with a smile. "Sounds like less work, and I'm all for less work."

Lust watched with amusement as Comic opened his mouth to protest, realized he couldn't think of any good reason to object, and clenched his teeth closed.

The decision made, the skeletons disappeared one by one, until only Stretch and the Human were left.

Stretch stood up from his seat, and came over to the human. "How about you and I have a talk?" The human pressed themselves closer to the wall, holding their hands close to their chest, looking from one side to the other in an attempt to find something to focus on other than Stretch. Stretch chuckled. He reached out one of his hands and took hold of the human's sleeve. "I'm not gonna bite, kiddo," he said, his voice gentle. "I just wanna talk."

The human let Stretch pull them closer. He decided that he would get a better response in a more comfortable environment. So he snapped his fingers and shortcut-ed them both back into the house. The human, a little dizzy, sank into the couch. Stretch smiled, finding the child endearing.

Stretch sat down next to the human, and crossed his legs by resting one ankle on top of his knee. "So, I suppose we should start with introductions. I'm Papyrus. But, heh, that might get confusing, so you can just call me 'Stretch'." The human clutched at the hem of their sweater, playing delicately with a bit that had come out of place. They didn't make any move to involve themselves in the conversation. Stretch sighed. "Ok, let's start again. What is _your_ name?"

The human took a moment before answering, "...Frisk..." in a quiet voice.

Stretch grinned. "Okay, good. Nice to meet you, Frisk." He stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket and relaxed into the couch. "I take it you aren't the same human that we met the other night? The one who liked swinging that knife around?" The human flinched, their hands going still. Their eyes watered, and a few tears slid down their cheek and dripped onto the couch. Stretch watched as impassively as possible.

"I-I _am_... but I'm _not_... It's-" Frisk's voice trembled. "It was my- my body... and I- I made the m-mistakes that l-l-led to it... But it wasn't- it wasn't all me..." Their shoulders shook. "I'm n-not blameless... I'm not t-trying to say that, but- but- I never wanted to h-hurt anyone. I n-n-never wanted to- I never wanted-" They went quiet, trying to pull themselves together.

Stretch sighed, wishing he had honey to make himself feel better. "Calm down, breath. Start from the beginning. I'm not as well informed about this whole thing as the others are."

Frisk took a deep breath. Seeing the look in Stretch's eyes, they couldn't keep quiet anymore. They needed to talk to someone, anyone. And Sans wasn't here. "I- I fell... into the ruins... That's the beginning... That's the first stage... What happens there determines what happens for the rest of the run..." Stretch wanted to ask what they meant by 'run' and 'stage', but he was worried that if he asked any questions, the human would stop talking altogether, so he kept quiet and listened. "I-I don't know exactly what happens down there. It's kinda fuzzy. Sometimes I have a better grasp of my, uh, my _self_ than others times... Sometimes, I don't have much of a grip at all..."

Stretch clenched his jaw. He didn't like what the kid was implying.

Frisk went back to picking at the frayed edge of their sweater. "It's like... down there, there is a _thing_ that... um... encourages? Controls? It's not quite either, but it's like... Sometimes the _thing_ lets me do what I want... and sometimes it... doesn't..." They bit their lip. "And I know it's me, it's ME, doing those things... I feel myself do them, I'm aware that I do them... but at the same time, I don't _want_ to do them. It's like this _thing_ brings out all the worst of me, and let's it take over... I know it's _me_ but it's not the _me_ that's me, you know?" Their lip quivered. "No, of course you don't. It makes no sense..."

Stretch clenched his fists, his shoulders tensing. The more he tried to imagine what the human was describing, the more it made his blood boil. Finally, after a long moment of silence, Stretch spoke. "And the, uh, other human?"

Frisk sighed. "They died... a long time ago... But human SOULs persist long after death, so... It found it's way into the ruins, and when I fell... It latched onto me. Humans can't absorb other human souls, but that doesn't mean they can't switch places sometimes..." They tried to rub their arms, their body suddenly cold, but the way their wrist were tied they couldn't quite reach. "When the, uh, _thing_ has me do bad things, it, um... wakes them up? They are so bitter, so resentful and angry, that the bad things make them more aware. When I do enough bad things... When I have enough LOVE, they wake up entirely, and take my place..."

Stretch scratched at his mandible. "So... there is this thing that points you down either a good or bad path, and if it takes you down a bad path, an angry ghost takes over your body?"

Frisk shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, pretty much..."

Stretch raised an eyebrow ridge. "And if you get your way? What do YOU want, kiddo?"

Frisk looked up. "I want to save everyone. _Everyone_." The look of determination on their face had Stretch transfixed. It made even him believe that anything was possible.

Stretch grinned. "Well, then, good luck with that."

At that moment, the other skeletons started trickling in, appearing in the livingroom with the suddenness that came from using shortcuts. Comic put down the armful of metal scraps and sagged to the floor, not in the best physical shape. Dance began sorting the screw, nuts, bolts, and other small parts based on size. Slim leaned the large chunks of sheet metal against the wall, and then leaned against it himself to enjoy a well deserved cigarette. Red dumped the discarded tire on the floor, then sat on it. Lust put more small pieces in the pile Dance had, and began to help him clean the metal, getting gunk out of the grooves.

Stretch watched. "Good haul?"

"As good as the first time," Dance responded, not looking up from his work.

Comic looked up at Frisk. "Any trouble?"

Frisk shook their head, smiling weakly. Stretch shrugged. "Not really. Kiddo's pretty low maintenance like this."

Comic nodded, rubbing his frontal bone. Lust watched him, amused. 

Comic's brother opened the door, looking a bit tired. Then he saw the mess in his livingroom. "SANS! WHY IS THERE GARBAGE IN OUR LIVINGROOM?!?!?!"

Red, who had stood up to start shaping the metal sheets into the shapes they needed, bristled, dropping them to the floor with a clatter. He had not felt the magical aura that usually accompanied his own brother, so he had had no warning when 'Papyrus' had screamed in that voice that had no concept of volume control. Whipping around, his claws out to block an anticipated strike, Red's eye blazed red. Slim, for his part, had dropped his cigarette at the sudden noise, and only just remembered to step on it to smother the scattered embers.

'Papyrus' looked at Red quizzically. "OH! YOU MUST BE MORE OF MY BROTHER'S GUESTS! IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU!"

Red was once again overwhelmed by the culture shock of seeing a 'Papyrus' so happy and optimistic. It was even more brazen than it had been with Stretch. Red backed up, forcing himself to shove his claws back in his pockets and smother his growing magic before he did something he'd regret.

'Papyrus' looked back at Comic with annoyance. "SANS! HOW COME YOU HAVE GARBAGE ALL OVER THE HOUSE WHEN WE HAVE GUESTS?!?!?!"

"Sorry bro, we're just working on a project together. I guess we forgot to move the whole thing into the lab..." Comic shrugged. "We'll do that now if you like."

"A PROJECT?!?! YOU'RE WORKING ON A PROJECT WITHOUT ASKING FOR THE HELP OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS?!?!?!?! SANS! YOU NEED TO STOP BEING SO SHY! OF COURSE I WILL HELP YOU!" 'Papyrus' looked at all the pieces, arms crossed. "BUT, UH, WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE?"

Dance grinned up at the taller skeleton. "It's going to be a space-time distortion amplifier. We had blueprints, but, uh..."

Slim sighed. "Gimme a hand, would you, Red," he said, rummaging in the drawer until he found the paper and pencil from before. Red skirted around 'Papyrus' and sat down on the floor with Slim, recreating the blueprints with deftness and insight. This time they marked down the number of parts they needed in greater detail.

'Papyrus' scratched his head. "SPACE TIME DISTORTION AMPLIFIER??? THAT SOUNDS COMPLICATED!!!!"

Lust chuckled. "It is. I'll admit it's a bit over my head. But, hey, if you really want to help, we can always use an extra pair of hands to get these pieces into usable condition. Do you know how to clean metal?"

'Papyrus' grinned, posing dramatically. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I CAN CLEAN ANYTHING!"

At that moment, both Stretch and Slim broke down into uncontrollable laughter. Stretch ended up falling off the couch, landing on his side and quivering on the floor as he tried to hide in his hoodie. Slim braced himself with both hands as his head flew back and his body shook so hard his jacket hood fell off. For them, the absurdity of something with their voice, evoking their name, saying those words had been too much.

"WHATS SO FUNNY?!?!" 'Papyrus' asked, more confused than offended.

Lust reached out and patted his arm. "Um... I think it's just that you said 'Papyrus'. That's their name too, you know... How about we give you a nickname? It'll help with the confusion..."

'Papyrus' grinned. "NICKNAME? THAT'S SOMETHING FRIENDS SHARE BETWEEN THEM! OKAY! I GLADLY GIVE YOU THE HONOR OF BEING MY FRIENDS!"

Red held his face in his hands. "Oh my god... I'm gettin' another fuckin' cavity over here..!"

'Papyrus' thought about it. "I HAVE IT! YOU CAN CALL ME 'RUS'! ITS SHORT FOR 'PAPYRUS'! THAT'S A NICKNAME!"

Stretch pushed himself back into a sitting position. "That works, I guess."

Lust grinned. "I would have gone with something like 'Tomato' or 'Noodle'," he leaned forward, pushing Rus back until he was flat on the floor, Lust's arms on either side of him. "Or maybe 'Lunch', since I could just eat you up, you adorable little cinnamon roll..!"

"UH, THANK YOU? BUT RUS IS FINE! SIMPLE IS ALWAYS BEST WITH NICKNAMES!! NOW, UH, I THINK YOU MUST HAVE LOST YOUR BALANCE, BECAUSE YOU SEEM TO HAVE FALLEN ON TOP OF ME..!"

Lust winked. "I can do a lot of things on top of you, handsome!" Rus turned a vibrant shade of orange.

Comic picked Lust up with blue magic. "No." He said simply.

Lust shrugged. "You're so overprotective!" he held his hands up in supplication. Comic sighed, letting him down gently a few feet to the side. "So serious..!"

"That's because you take things too far," Dance said coolly. He handed Rus a couple of dirty metal bits. "If you're going to help, start on those." Rus began cleaning the metal with enthusiasm.

Dance stood up. "While Rus here does the cleaning, we can go scavenge again. It's still plenty light out."

Comic looked at his brother. "Is that alright with you?"

Rus grinned. "I WILL BE FINE! I'M USED TO CLEANING UP AFTER YOU! BESIDES, THE HUMAN WILL KEEP ME COMPANY! WON'T YOU, HUMAN?"

Frisk nodded.

Red sniffed. "Like we can trust this creampuff t' handle th' brat..." He muttered. Comic shot him a dirty look, which Red returned. "WHAT? Like I'm th' only one thinkin' it!"

"It'll be fine," Comic said.

"We can't leave th' human here while we go galavantin' off t' another universe!" Red snarled. "What if we come back an' shit's hit th' fan?!"

"I think Rus can handle it," Dance said as he inspected a bolt with a crack in it. He decided it was compromised and put it in the dud pile.

"Shut yer face, twinkle toes, yer hardly one t' talk!" Red snapped.

"Make me," Dance hissed back, standing up. The two skeletons leered at each other, eyes glowing. Dance was done with Red's near constant bad mood. Red, of course, had been done with everything and everyone after the first day.

Lust got up, moving his hands up and down as if it would somehow suppress the tension in the air. "Guys, guys, chill. No need to get so riled up!" Unfortunately, neither of the two skeletons paid any attention to him.

Rus put a hand on Red's shoulder, making Red go rigid. "FEAR NOT, GRUMPY BROTHER! I AM AN EXPERT ON HUMANS!! I WILL TAKE EXCELLENT CARE OF THEM WHILE YOU ARE ALL AWAY DOING WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO WHEN YOU HOP ACROSS SPACE AND TIME! WHICH I HOPE IS NOT MORE PRANKS, BECAUSE THAT IS VERY JUVENILE!"

Red felt himself crack at the word 'brother', his face turning a pale translucent red as he pulled his hood up and tried to ignore the warm fluttering in his soul. It had been ages since his own brother had called him anything but an insult. He knew that was his fault, but it still made his crusty shell crack to hear something like that. His anger melted away despite his best efforts to hold onto it. "...Whatever..." he muttered, backing off, pulling away from Rus's hand.

Dance eyed Red a little longer, then his composure broke and he began to giggle. "'Grumpy'..!" He wheezed, sinking to the floor. Red twitched, but he didn't say anything. He figured he deserved that. He knew he had anger management issues, even if he had no idea how to address them.

Lust sighed in relief, looking at Rus with admiration. Rus grinned back. "I THINK I RATHER LIKE HAVING SO MANY BROTHERS!" He admitted.

In that moment, Lust quite agreed with him.

"Welp, I think you got this, bro." Comic stood up, relief making him a bit more energetic. "We'd better get going. Be back soon!"

Another countdown (led by Stretch).

Another loud crack.

* * *

Stretch sighed in relief as he sat down on his couch, looking up at the familiar photos on his livingroom wall. He knew it had only been a few days since he had last been here, but it felt like a month.

Red sniffed. "Let's get th' goods an' go. This places makes me nauseous."

"Why? Because it's clean?" Stretch asked smugly. "My bro won't stand for anything less, so you'll just have to deal."

"Yer 'bro' is what makes this place nauseatin'!" Red muttered.

"I think the little guy is sweet," Comic interjected, admiring the sock on the floor.

"Good enough to _eat_ ," Lust agreed, a bit to strongly.

"Not that you're particularly picky about what _you_ eat," Slim snickered.

"I like 'm tall, dark, and handsome too," Lust purred, looking up at him through lidded eyes.

"I think yer a lil short to ride this ride," Slim responded in good humor.

"I can wear heels."

"Okay, enough of that," Dance interrupted. "If we hurry, so we should have time to go to my place too before it gets dark. Let's go."

"Don't have t' tell me twice," Red grumbled, disappearing to the dump. Dance followed right after. Lust winked at Slim before he vanished. Slim chuckled, snapping his fingers to go too.

Comic looked at Stretch. "You aren't coming, are you?"

Stretch shrugged. "I wanna check in on my bro while we're here. I can't help but wor-"

The front door opened. Blue came in, laughing in that energetic way, looking behind him at someone. "AND THIS IS MY SCENIC HOME! COME ON IN AND MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTAB-" Blue looked up, and a wide grin spread across his face. "PAPY! YOU'RE BACK! GUESS WHAT? GUESS WHAT?? I MADE A NEW FRIEND!!"

Stretch grinned back. "Thats great bro!"

"AAAAAAAAAAND! IT! IS! A!" Blue reached behind him and pulled the person he had been speaking to before inside. "HUMAN!"

Comic froze. Standing arm in arm next to Blue was a small skinny human child. They stood a little taller than Blue, their light brown hair hanging to their jawline. They wore a bright green sweater with a large yellow stripe. As they shyly looked up, Comic could see their auburn eyes glowed a faint red, warm and inviting, like the sunrise that always greeted them upon leaving the Underground. Comic felt his rage and fear instinctively swell at the sight, his magic pulsating, his eye lighting up that brilliant cyan with gold highlights as he flashed back to all those horrid moments in the Hall of Judgement, sadistic laughter echoing through his mind like it had off the marble tiles.

Stretch felt a wave of fear of his own, but he forced himself to remain calm. He carefully and quickly evaluated the human: their body was unmarked, except for a few scratches on their knees. Their cloths, while a little ripped, lacked any sign of blood or dust. Then his gaze drifted up to the human's face, and he looked into their eyes. He saw in them an ember of hope, a brightness that lit up the darkness he had been lost in for far too long. The warm red glow called out to his soul, making his breath catch and his magic stutter throughout his body. The human held his gaze, their face flushing pale pink. It took all of Stretch's willpower to look away.

Getting up quickly from his spot on the couch, Stretch looked over a Comic to try and distract himself from his thoughts. He realized the state Comic was in, what the human's appearance must have triggered in him, and put a comforting hand on Comic's shoulder. Comic was brought out of his panic by the touch. He too then did a double take, using the contact with Stretch to ground himself and settle down his.

Stretch smiled at his brother. "Y- you finally found a human? Thats great! I knew you would! I'm just sorry I couldn't be there to see it."

Blue laughed, not having noticed any of the tension in the room due to his own excitement. "IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME! AND NOW THE HUMAN AND I ARE BEST FRIENDS!!! AREN'T WE, HUMAN?"

The human nodded dumbly, still looking at Stretch. Stretch shifted his stance, feeling oddly bare under the human's gaze. He began to worry if he looked alright. He squashed that thought immediately, knowing it was irrelevant. He wondered if he had been hanging around with Lust for too long, to be having thoughts like _that_ at a time like _this_.

Blue let go of the human's arm and came further into the room. "HUMAN! THIS IS MY BIG BROTHER, PAPYRUS! AND THIS IS, UH..." he looked at Comic. "I'M SORRY I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME???"

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Just call me Comic."

"COMIC! YES, THIS IS MY BROTHER'S FRIEND, COMIC! HE LIVES FAR AWAY!"

The human put their hands behind their back, smiling. "It's very nice to meet you both. I'm Chara. Let's be friends, ok?"

Comic gaped at the human, at 'Chara'. This was rather disorienting, and was messing with his PTSD.

"Yeah, let's be friends..." Stretch repeated dumbly. He once again found himself being swallowed by those auburn eyes, adrift in a sea of candle light.

"WELL HUMAN," Blue continued, taking the human by the hand and leading them up the stairs. "LET US CONTINUE OUR DATE!" Chara allowed themselves to be dragged, but their eyes never left Stretch's until they were at the top of the stairs. Stretch found himself unable to look away from that gaze, and as the door of Blue's room shut, cutting off all visual contact, his soul seemed to tremble ever so slightly at the loss.

Comic looked up at the taller skeleton, a thoughtful look in his eye lights. "Take it from me, bud: it's better not to get attached."

Stretch pulled away, playing nervously with the string of his hoodie. "I don't know what you mean..."

Comic grimaced. "Yeah, yeah you do. And trust me, it'll only hurt worse when it goes wrong. And it _will_ go wrong."

"You don't know that," Stretch found himself arguing, annoyance building.

"I _DO_ know that," Comic pressed. "So just give up. I did."

Stretch grit his teeth. He couldn't understand why he was suddenly so attached to a person he had met for all of 5 seconds, but the way Comic seemed to be dashing all the bubbling hope in his soul made him unreasonably irritated. He clutched at his ribs, trying to will his soul to stop pounding. "...We'd better go help the others..." he whispered, the only volume he trusted to keep his voice even. With that, he snapped his fingers and went to the dump.

Comic followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ That 'love at first sight' thing is kinda how Comic and Frisk started too (only for Comic it was Frisk's laughter that got him) because I am a hopeless shameless romantic and stfu fight me
> 
> ~ lets take a moment to remember that Lust has gone about 4 days without getting any relief by this point, so he is starting to reach out to damn near everyone who hasn't rejected him outright already


	14. Humans and Monsters (Pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dance is forced to face some of his bitterness, and there is a little bit of static.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More smut ahead.
> 
> Also there are spoilers for the end of the True Pacifist Ending ahead. So yeah. Nostalgia alert.

Scavenging from Stretch's universe was less than productive. The most they managed to find were a few nails that Slim yanked out of a bit of wood, a deflated basketball, and a broken zipper (the usefulness of which was debatable). Dance sighed, sitting down on a discarded cooler. They had picked this place clean of anything useful the first time around.

Comic wiggled, stuck headfirst in a pile of trash up to his waist. "Uh, a little help..?" His muffled voice called. He flailed his legs, the water running other the ground making it difficult to find purchase.

Lust covered his mouth. "Comic! I've never seen you look so _dirty_ before!"

Red looked up from his own search, and began quivering. "He looks pretty _trashed_ if ya ask me!"

Comic's muffled laughter echoed on the water. "OK, but seriously, help me out?" Slim, being closest, took a firm hold of Comic's ankle and gave a quick yank. Comic popped out of the pile of garbage, making the trash shift and fall out of place, avalanching into the pool of water below. Slim held him up upside down, unsure of how to put him down. Comic was clutching a pack of playing cards (which, judging by the condition of the box and level of wear on the images, was likely short of the standard 52). He grinned, holding it up. "At least I wasn't _discarded_!"

Slim snapped his jaw shut, muffling a laugh that came out as a low squeak. "Quite the _joker_ aren't ya?"

"I just know how to _play my cards right_!"

Stretch clutched at his teeth, shoulders shaking. "O-ok, I think we're done here..."

"Lets check my place next. I don't think we'll get much, but..." Dance stood up, taking hold of Comic's shoulder. Between him and Slim they got Comic right side up again. Comic gripped both their hands, grinning from the residual cheeriness of his joke.

Another countdown.

Another loud crack.

* * *

Dance knew there was something off as soon as they arrived in his universe. He couldn't have said what at first, but as the others began to scatter about the dump, he felt restless. "Be back later, guys," he said, snapping his fingers.

Dance rushed through the snow towards the great stone doors. The silence began to claw at him. As he came out of the treeline, he saw it: the doors were wide open. Panic began to set in. Dance rushed back to town. He looked this way and that, trying to find some sign of another person. All he found were a great many footprints in the snow, as though made by stampede. To his great relief, there were no piles of ash anywhere to be found. However, that begged the question: Where was everyone?

Dance jumped at the sound of his phone going off. He dug it shakily from his pocket. The caller ID said it was Papyrus (Suave). He flicked it open. "Hey, bro, whats up?" Dance was proud that he kept his nervousness from his voice.

"OH! THANK GOODNESS! YOU'RE HERE! I WAS WORRIED YOU MIGHT STILL BE AWAY! HURRY TO THE CASTLE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!"

"The castle..?" Dance felt his heart drop.

"YES! MY NEW FRIEND NEEDS HELP! PLEASE HURRY!"

Dance felt his legs begin to tremble, threatening to give under his weight. "S-sure. Be right there..." he hung up.

If his brother was helping a friend at the castle, that meant it was the human. If the human was at the castle, and Papyrus was alive, that meant- He snapped his fingers, taking a shortcut to the throne room. He raced down the hall, scrambling as fast as he could towards the Barrier. He skidded to a halt just outside the door and listened to the voices inside.

"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!" Papyrus's voice echoed off the walls. "IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE...! THEN I'LL!!! BE FORCED!!! TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!!!" Dance sighed in relief. It sounded like he had gotten here in time.

Then a soft, angelic, "Hello!" broke through the air. Dance felt his breath catch. It was her. She was here.

"OH! HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!" Papyrus said with an audiable smile. "PSST! HEY, HUMAN... DID ASGORE SHAVE...? AND... CLONE HIMSELF????"

Dance took a deep breath, and came in. "Hey guys... what's up?"

"That voice...!!" A tall, voluptuous, furry goat-dragon woman, wearing an elegant purple ballroom gown that hugged her hips just right, took a few steps towards Dance. Hesitantly, playing with the fabric of her skirt, she looked at him. "Hello, I think we may... Know each other?"

Dance had seen it a hundred times, but it never failed to surprise him how lovely she was in the pulsing light of the barrier room; her creamy white fur, offset by the vibrance of her eyes; her long dark lashes making them stand out even more on her slender face; her posture, the way she carried herself as if always dancing across the floor. It made Dance's heart flutter, made his SOUL pulse and tremble and throb. He was so entranced that he almost forgot to speak. "Oh hey..." he coughed out, scratching his maxilla as he forced himself to look away. "I recognize your voice, too."

"I am TORIEL." She said, her voice caressing his senses. "So nice to meet you."

Dance swallowed hard. "The name's sans. And, uh, same." He glanced up, and couldn't suppress his grin. There in the back was Asgore, his face contorted in grief and loss and a little jealousy. He looked like he was about to cry. Dance knew it was petty, but he loved it. Served him right for not taking better care of Tori.

Toriel let out a gasp as a thought dawned on her. "Oh! Wait, then...!" She turned to the other skeleton in the room, smiling. "This must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you!" She put a hand lightly on Dance's shoulder. The contact sent jolts of electricity through Dance, and he glanced briefly towards Asgore to see him cover his maw in shock. Dance couldn't have smiled wider.

"Your brother has told me so much about you." Toriel continued, oblivious to the brief exchange.

Papyrus blushed. "WOWIE... I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM!!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!"

"Hey, Papyrus..." Toriel started, smiling differently than before. Dance would have bit his lip in anticipation, had he had them. "What does a skeleton tile his roof with?"

"HMMM..." Papyrus thought, "SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES???"

"No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with..." Toriel paused for effect. " _SHIN_ -gles!!!" This was why Dance loved the woman. She could do everything.

"I CHANGED MY MIND!!!" Papyrus declared. "THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!"

Toriel and Dance shared a brief look, both giggling a bit at the joke that Papyrus had not found funny. Behind them, Asgore let out a quiet sob.

Undyne rubbed Asgore's back, trying to comfort the poor rejected man. "Come on, ASGORE! It's gonna be OK! There are plenty of fish in the sea..."

"Y-yeah, ASGORE!!" Alphys piped up. "Undyne's totally right about the fish thing! S-sometimes you've just got to, uh..." She started fidgeting, looking at her hands. "S-stop going after furry boss monsters and, uh... J-just get to know a really cute fish...?" When her words were met with knowing (and not so knowing) looks, she shifted her stance and looked away. "It's a metaphor."

"Well." Undyne exhaled, "I think it's a good analogy."

"OH MY GOD! WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY!?" Mettaton's shouted from the doorway, one leg up in the air dramatically. "THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!!!"

Undyne shot him a dirty look. "HEY, SHUT UP!!! Man, the nerve of that guy! Right, Alphys!??" Alphys did not respond. She didn't even look up. "Uh, Alphys?"

After a moment, Alphys looked up, her little claws clenched into determined fists. "No. He's right. LET'S DO IT."

Undyne blinked. "Well??? Uh??? I guess??? If you want to??? Then???" She turned to look at Alphys squarely. "Don't hold anything back!!!" The two monsters leaned in awkwardly towards each other, Alphys going up on her tippy toes to reach the much taller fish monster.

Dance never paid much attention to any of this, he was too busy grinning like an idiot being so close to Toriel, smelling her sweet musk, listening to her soft breathing. But like always, at this point Toriel pulled away. "W-wait!" She exclaimed, pushing the two lovestruck monsters away from each other, gently but firmly. "Not in front of the human!"

"Uhh, right! S-sorry, I got a little carried away there." Alphys backed up further, blushing and looking away. Undyne took a step back, blushing herself, a goofy but satisfied grin on her face.

Dance moved to stand next to Toriel again as everyone directed their attention back to the almost forgotten human.

Toriel giggled a little, her smile back in place. "My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think..." Her hand one more fell onto Dance's shoulder, making his grin that much more genuine. "I think you will be happy here."

"H-hey, that reminds me." Alphys thought aloud. "Papyrus... YOU called everyone here, right?" She glanced at Toriel. "Well, besides, uh, her." Alphys seemed to pause, thinking about something, then turned her attention back to the skeleton. "Uh, anyway... If I got here before you... How did you know how to call everybody?"

Papyrus grinned, doing a flourish with his hands, taking the rose from his mouth. "LET'S JUST SAY... A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME." he said, twirling the rose in his hand for emphasis.

Alphys turned pale. " _A tiny... flower?_ " her voice shook.

And like all the times before, Dance was brought violently from his moment of bliss as what seemed like hundreds of vines crashed down on the group of monsters. Dance found himself entangled faster than he could react, his arms bound tight to his sides. The vines lifted him into the air, squeezing the breath from his body. He had to focus on protecting his meager HP reserve as he distantly heard high pitched laughter echo in the room.

"You IDIOTS." A voice hissed. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow... I took the human SOULS! And now, not only are THOSE under my power... But all of your FRIENDS' SOULS are gonna be mine, too!" As it talked, Dance pulled his head up to look. There it was, the annoying yellow flower that always caused trouble: Flowey. Now, usually, Dance never bothered listening to the weed. His body hurt, and parsing out the meaning of words had always seemed like too much of a hassle. However, this time, he thought maybe he WOULD listen. Maybe it was because of Comic, but Dance felt like perhaps there was something he might get out of trying, just a little. So he strained his hearing to reach beyond the pounding pain.

Flowey giggled. "And you know what the best part is? It's all your fault." Dance ground his teeth. He felt a pang in his SOUL as he realized that deep down, he agreed. He blamed the human. He always had blamed the human. If it hadn't been for Tori, he would have drawn the curtains on the kid a long time ago.

Flowey continued. "It's all because you MADE THEM love you. All the time you spent listening to them... Encouraging them... Caring about them... Without that, they wouldn't have come here." Dance felt himself bristle. The kid had gone through a lot of trouble to make friends. They had even reached out to him, numerous times, trying to get him to dance with them. He had always declined, diverting their attention with a joke or a sales pitch. Looking back, Dance wondered why it was he had never indulged them.

"And now," The flower continued, "With their souls and the humans' together... I will achieve my REAL FORM." Flowey giggled.

The human clutched at their tutu, their mouth moving. Dance couldn't quite hear their voice, but he was certain they had spoken.

"Huh?" Flowey stopped laughing. "WHY am I still doing this? Don't you get it? This is all just a GAME." The vines seemed to loosed their grip ever so slightly, Flowey losing himself in the fragments of genuine emotion his soulless existence was able to cling to. "If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll 'win' the game. If you 'win,' you won't want to 'play' with me anymore. And what would I do then?"

Dance felt his SOUL go still. 'If they left the underground satisfied', the weed had said. Was that it?! Was that all?! Was the whole reason the kid kept going back, kept RESETting, that they felt _unsatisfied_?! Rage boiled inside him.

The flower's vines tightened again. "But this game between us will NEVER end. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach... And then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over..." Flowey laughed. "Listen. If you DO defeat me, I'll give you your 'happy ending.' I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier."

This time the human's voice reached Dance. "You mean it this time? You'll bring back _everyone_? We'll _all_ get to be happy?" Something in their voice made Dance's anger melt away. They sounded so sincere, so concerned... and so _tired_.

Flowey swayed in a way that might have been a shrug in a more humanoid creature. "Everyone will finally be satisfied. But that WON'T happen. You...!" He lifted the human into the air. "I'll keep you here no matter what! _**Even if it means killing you 1,000,000 times!!!**_ "

Dance watched as Flowey threw attack after attack at the helpless human. There wasn't even any music playing. This was just merciless, soulless violence.

Just when the child went limp in the hold of the vines, when their blood pooled on the floor beneath them, and the glow of their soul began to die, a soft melody flitted through the air, and a brilliant shield of fire rose up to protect the human.

Flowey blinked. "What?"

Toriel lifted her head, panting, sweat dripping from the tips of her fur. "Do not be afraid my child... No matter what happens... We will always be there to protect you!"

The flower glared at her, then looked back at the human, sending another wave of magic to deal the final blow. Two melodies swirled together out of nowhere; A bone materialized on one side of the human, and a spear on the other. Between them, they managed to deflect the flower's attacks.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN!!" Papyrus yelled out. "JUST DO WHAT I, WOULD DO... BELIEVE IN YOU!!!"

Undyne took a shuddering breath, then put on a tense smile. "Hey! Human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING! So don't worry! We're with you all the way!"

Dance felt a glimmer of an idea flicker behind his eyes. Maybe... He pulled his head back up all the way, forcing his eye lights to gleam smugly. "Huh? You haven't beaten this guy yet? Come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you." Dance knew that was a fact.

The flower grew more agitated. They attacked again, faster. Two more, different melodies weaved themselves in and out of each other; A wall of electricity and a wall of fire rose up, one more protecting the human.

Alphys bit her lip, shaking a little. "Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him... B-but... Somehow, I know you can do it!!"

Asgore sighed heavily, looking at the human almost pleadingly. "Human, for the future of humans and monsters...! You have to stay determined...!"

At that moment, the entirety of the underground rushed into the Barrier's grand hallway. Their voices, their music, rose and undulated, coating the air heavily in magic. Dance saw the human's body glow faintly, their injuries rapidly fading.

Flowey growled and shook. "No! Unbelievable!! This can't be happening...! You... YOU...!"  
Then there was a sadistic smile on his face. "I can't believe you're all so STUPID. _**ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE**_!!!"

Dance felt a burning pain lance through his body, his SOUL forcibly ripped from him. As his consciousness faded, he heard the flower cackling.

* * *

Red had been playing with a bobble head he had found when the world around him went dark. It felt as though everything suddenly ceased to exist, that the world had given out around him. It was almost like the feeling between shortcuts, but heavier, and much, much more persistent. Red clawed at the black that engulfed him, opening his mouth to scream, to curse, to resist in any way he could. But he felt nothing under his hand, and his voice did not come. Dark, darker, yet darker, Red tried to keep a hold of his sense of self. As time passed, he felt his sanity fray, his mind collapsing under the stress of being without any stimulation. He began to claw at his bones, deep enough to draw blood, just to keep himself grounded.

A jittering noise seeped out from the nothingness around him. It was overlaid with static and false noise, but Red could almost make out words underneath it all. He tried to twist in the emptiness, but without anything to push off against, it was near impossible to move. The noise got closer. Red's SOUL began to jitter with panic in his ribcage. The noise was so loud now it was painful. Then something soft wrapped itself around his body, mushy and yielding tendrils lacing themselves around his bones and something more firm gripped his face. The noise screeched in his ear, and he swore it said something:

" **_5@n5¿ ¥0u 5H0u1Ð N07 b3 h3®3¡_** "

Then there was a spark of light in the distance. With a hiss, the creature was ripped away from Red, and the static faded into the distance. The light grew brighter and brighter, until it engulfed him as completely as the darkness had not a moment before. Red had to shield his eyes.

When he opened them, he was once again sprawled on a pile of trash.

Then he heard someone scream.

"LET ME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!" Lust's voice was panicked. He sank into the water, shaking and sobbing. Not far away, Stretch was trembling, his body curled in a little ball. There were wet spots on his hoodie that the water on the ground could not have reached. Comic slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, his eye blazing, breathing heavy and jagged. Slim lay back against a pile of garbage, clutching at one of his legs. His foot was twisted at an impossible angle. It seems Slim had had the same idea as Red about pain.

Red forced his breathing to go back to normal. He pulled himself into a standing position, and looked himself over. Other than his right arm, which was raked and bloody and covered in new fractures that would need to be tended to, he was fine. He took a deep breath, and climbed down the pile of trash. "ROLL CALL!" he barked. "WHO'S ALIVE?"

Comic gulped down another lung-full of air. "H-here... heh"

Lust looked up at the voices. "It's over?? Oh stars it's over..!" He hugged himself, feeling relief flood him.

"I-I'm alright..." Stretch simpered. He was still shaken but talking and being talked to was helpful.

"Same," Slim said. Even his voice was shaking a bit.

Red took another deep breath. "'k, good. Next question: WHAT TH' FUCKIN' HELL WAS THAT BULLSHIT?!" Now that the initial shock had worn off, Red was consumed with unbridled fury. How dare they put him through that!

"No idea..." Comic admitted. "Never happened before... Not that I can remember..."

The group was quiet for a while.

Lust pulled himself to his feet. "Is anyone hurt..?"

Red quickly put his good hand over his now very bloody arm. "No." he lied.

Slim sighed. "I'm not de- _feet_ ed yet," he chuckled.

Stretch cracked his knuckles. "Check them." he said evenly.

"You're all fussing again," Slim drawled, leaning over his leg. Pulling it back into proper position, twisting the bone to realign it, he let soft orange magic spill from the palm of his hand and down into his leg. After a few minutes, he leaned back, moving his leg experimentally. "I can take care of something like this just fine, see?"

Stretch watched, kneeling down next to him. "You should be more gentle with yourself."

Slim shrugged. "It's my body, ya know."

Stretch sighed. "Fair enough."

"BACK OFF, PIXIE DUST!" Red spat as Lust tried to approach.

"You're bleeding..!" Lust tried to reason with him. "Just let me take a look-"

"YA CAN LOOK JUST FINE FROM OVER THERE!" Red snapped. His one hand was already glowing faintly with his magic, healing himself. "I DON'T NEED YER HELP!"

Lust flinched back, looking a little hurt. Then he fixed his usual smile on his face. "Suit yourself, sweetie. I just wanted to make you feel better."

"TOUCH ME AN' DIE!" Red sneered.

_The world stuttered._

When the bright golden light faded, the dump was brimming with more discarded materials. It was just as full as it had been the first time they had come to this universe.

Red grinned toothily. "JACKPOT!" He dove into the trash under him, gathering useful objects. Slim stood up, stretching, before starting to pick up the parts closest to him. Lust sighed, going to look for the bits he figured would be where he last found them. Stretch inspected a few piles of scrap, looking for the pieces that could be used. Comic flopped onto a tire, suddenly worried about Dance.

Almost as if summoned, Dance appeared. He looked tired, wrung out of all emotion. Comic knew that look. He stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do ya need to talk about it..?" He asked hesitantly.

Dance was quiet a moment. "Did your human ever tell you what it meant to 'win the game'?" He looked at Comic. "What would make them 'satisfied'?"

Comic felt his body tense. "I don't think this is a game to them..." He said slowly.

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" Dance sighed, rubbing his face. "Whatever it is... Maybe if we find it..." Dance shook his head. "No... we have to find it..."

* * *

The skeletons returned to Comic's home laden with a plethora of scraps, materials, and supplies. They left it all in a large pile on the floor next to the TV. Rus had cleaned and polished all the parts they had gathered before, which he had also neatly arranged underneath the table on which Pet Rock sat. On their return, he was sitting on the couch watching MTT TV, the human asleep in his lap.

"WELCOME HOME!" Rus beamed. "DID YOU GET A LOT OF WORK DONE?"

"We got a ton of work done, bro," Comic said with a smile. "A _skele_ ton!"

"SANS! NO MORE PUNS, PLEASE!!!" Rus begged. He carefully got up, shifting the human so they came to rest on the couch. "IT IS NOW BEDTIME! I WILL AWAIT YOU!" He ran upstairs with a 'NYEH HEH HEH'.

Stretch sank onto the couch, a thoughtful expression on his face. Comic stretched his arms over his head. "I'll sleep in my bro's room. You guys can do what you want with mine. Just do me a favor and don't mess with my socks, 'k?" He sauntered up the stairs, going to read his little brother a bedtime story. He stopped at the end of the railing, looking over his shoulder at the sleeping human. A flicker of emotion in his eyes was the only indication of his feelings at that moment, before he turned back around and entered his brother's room.

Dance hesitated a moment, looking at the human with a hard yet thoughtful expression, but when he found himself yawning he snapped his fingers and took a shortcut to Comic's room. Lust went outside to cool off. Red went to the shed. Slim left the house too.

Stretch pulled his hood up, laying himself down next to the human in such a way that the human was between him and the back of the couch. He eased one arm under their head, curling it up and over so his hand dangled back down low enough to stroke at their hair. He looked down at them, remembering the human from his own world. He pulled them a little closer so he could scoot more securely onto the couch, feeling their soft body against his side. He wondered if the human he had met in his universe was soft like this. Stretch closed his eyes, thinking about the soft glow of candlelight.

* * *

Lust headed into the Igloo next to the house, leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. He carefully pealed off the orange sweater and folded it neatly, laying it to the side a few feet away. Sliding to the floor, Lust began to try and ease the biting need aching throughout his body. He reached up and began caressing his false ribs, his other hand stroking at his iliac crest with smooth arcs. Quicker than he though was healthy, his magic pooled in his pelvic inlet and formed into a stiff throbbing member. The amethyst glow of Lust's magic lit up the area, the brightness making his pale bones seem to shimmer in the otherwise dark corridor. Lust took hold of it, suppressing a groan.

"Need help with that?" A voice came from the entrance of the igloo, making Lust jump. Slim started down the stairs, looking Lust up and down. "You sure look pathetic, all hot and bothered."

Lust looked away, his cheeks flushing. "If you're just here to tease-"

Slim gripped Lust's jaw, kneeling down so he was at eye level, his body pinning Lust against the back wall. "What? I thought you wanted attention?"

Lust relaxed into the hand, so familiar and yet so different. His eyes sparkled with purple light, his tongue forming tangibly in his mouth. "You're the one who said I was 'too short to ride'," he chided, putting his hand over Slim's.

"So I'll be the one doing the riding," Slim drawled, pulling closer, straddling the smaller skeleton. With a smirk, he leaned in and scraped the tips of his canines against Lust's cervical vertebrae. Lust let out a gasp, his magic pulsating, his soul quivering. Slim did it again, slower this time, as he slid his one hand around to grip the back of Lust's skull, pulling it in to rest against his shoulder. Slim's other hand cupped Lust's spine, kneading the bone.

Lust let out a soft moan, clutching at Slim's jacket desperately. "You know I don't need the foreplay..!" He gasped.

Slim chuckled, thumbing Lust's transverse process . "It's not _for_ you," He said, turning Lust around so his back was against his ribs. Lust threw his head back as Slim gripped his magic. "It's for me."

Lust stifled a scream as he felt Slim begin to pump him. He reached his arms over his head, wrapping them so he was clawing at the back of Slim's jacket. "S-so you're a sadist, then..? J-just my luck..." Lust heard his breath hitch, his voice going an octave higher as Slim's hand moved faster.

Slim gripped Lust's cervical vertebrae gently, scratching at the joints. His hand slid down, stroking Lust's clavicle, then his sternum, then his false ribs. Lust felt himself melting into each touch, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Just as Lust thought he would explode, Slim stopped his ministrations. Lust whimpered, leaning back hard into the other skeleton's chest, panting. "Why? I was- I was-"

Slim unzipped his pants, letting loose a long orange member. "You're not allowed to have fun by yourself," he purred. Lust's eyes lit up with greater desire. He quickly hiked up his hips and slid onto Slim, their two magics merging in Lust's pelvic inlet. There was a soft hiss, and a few magical sparks, then Slim was thrusting hard, smashing his bones into Lust's.

Lust almost bit his tongue, it was so good. He felt Slim wrap his hands around his phallus, which made Lust's magic tense and swell and quiver around Slim's in a way that elicited a low moan of satisfaction. Lust smirked. He closed his eyes, focusing on the magic inside him, making it condense and solidify further. Then he squeezed down on Slim. Slim of course had not been expecting that, and he let out a soft scream as he climaxed.

Lust chuckled. "You aren't done yet are you? I've only just started..!" He squeezed again, harder this time, nuzzling into Slim's quivering body. "Maybe you don't have what it takes..?" He murmured, taunting.

Slim grit his teeth, clawing into Lust's ribs with one hand and squeezing his dick with the other. "Ya trying ta pick a fight?"

"Oh no! I just didn't want this ride to be uneventful for you," Lust gasped, stroking Slim's maxilla with the back of his knuckles. "Or for me."

Slim clicked his teeth. "I see..." He thrust harder, making Lust's voice escape through his teeth. "Then I'll stop playing around."

"Please do..." Lust sighed, gyrating his hips. "Magic like this shouldn't be wasted playing games."

Slim leaned down, biting a little harder into Lust's neck. He thrust upward even faster than before. Lust worked with him, their motions synchronizing for optimum results. Lust twisted, his one arm coming down and around to claw into Slim's ribcage through his shirt. Slim leaned back, bracing himself on the floor with both hands, his stamina starting to wane. Lust pulled himself up, spun around, and slid back down onto Slim, facing him. Slim's breathing got faster, more shallow. Lust pushed him flat on his back and took over control, moving faster and with more practiced technique. Slim covered his mouth to stifle a loud scream. Lust grinned, panting harder than ever.

As one, the two skeletons reached the pinnacle of bliss.

Lust pulled himself off of Slim, collapsing to the side. Slim tried to catch his breath, clawing at both the floor and his chest. "S-so where did ya learn ta do that..?"

Lust laughed softly, curling up against Slim's side, his eyes drifting closed.

"Practice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOH! Fontcest AND Soriel! A two-fer! XD Ok so yeah Dance is fucking bitter as hell because, you guessed it, the resets are keeping him apart from the girl of his dreams!
> 
> Also WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT THING?! XP We all know what that was.


	15. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the machine gets rebuilt a little, and Red picks another fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this fan-service chapter

Frisk woke up to the smell of burned tomato sauce. They flexed their hands, feeling the leather still wrapped around their wrists. They were warm and comfortable and surrounded by something that smelled slightly sweet. Their head was fuzzy, having been brought out of a deep sleep that had been the result of mental and physical exhaustion.

As they rubbed crusty sleep from their eyes, Frisk realized there was something somewhat hard pressed against them. They looked up. There, closer than Frisk had ever been to anyone before (except Comic) was Stretch, sound asleep with his arm around Frisk's shoulder. Frisk shot up with a soft squeak. They carefully extricated themselves from Stretch, standing up so they could sit on the back of the couch. They then carefully slid down the the end of the couch and jumped to the floor.

Next to the TV was a large pile of scraps and metal pieces. The others must have returned with more parts last night. Maybe this would be enough to build their machine thingie. The human's thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched hiss like a teapot boiling over. Frisk poked their head into the kitchen.

Rus was enthusiastically stirring a flaming pot of spaghetti sauce. Frisk smiled fondly. They leaned in the doorway, cringing inwardly at the smell.

Rus turned around to reach for a box of noodles, and spotted the human from the corner of his eye. "OH! GOOD MORNING HUMAN! I HOPE YOU SLEPT WELL!" Frisk nodded, smiling. "WONDERFUL! WELL, BREAKFAST IS ALMOST READY! WILL YOU PLEASE GO WAKE UP MY BROTHER AND THE OTHERS? WE CANNOT LET THEM SLEEP IN ALL DAY!"

Frisk nodded, going back into the livingroom. They saw Stretch sitting up, stretching his arms over his head. "'Mornin'," he mumbled stifling a yawn.

Frisk twiddled their thumbs, coming closer. "Uh- Papyrus- I mean, um... Rus? He said to wake everyone up for breakfast..?"

Stretch sighed. "You go wake up the ones upstairs, I'll go get the edgelords." He stood up, rubbing the back of his lower spine through his cloths. With a snap of his fingers he was gone. Frisk stared at the spot, still not used to seeing shortcuts, then with a shake of their head they headed upstairs.

First they stopped to check in Rus's room. Sure enough, there was Comic, curled up on Rus's bed, snoring softly. Frisk felt their face flush as they approached, appreciating the sight. Comic was a skeleton, no question, but his bones were thicker, more sturdy, than Frisk imaged a human's would be. They could see the prominent jaw that, while not as defined as his brother's, was still fetching. They noticed the slight curvature of his nasal passage, which probably contributed to his distinctive voice. His black pants were riding up slightly, exposing the lower half of his tibia and fibula. It took all of Frisk's willpower not to stroke them. Instead they placed both hands on his arm and shook. "S-sans?"

Comic shot awake, breathing hard. Frisk pulled back, giving him space. He looked around. "Oh... What are you..?"

"Papyrus says it's time to get up..." They explained.

"Ah..." Comic looked away. "I-I'm up then."

"Okay..."

The awkwardness hung in the air as neither one of them moved. Frisk looked Comic over, feeling a tightness in their chest. He looked so tired, the rims of his eye sockets darkened in a way that make Frisk's heart ache. His shoulders slumped down as though bearing an impossible weight, a weight Frisk knew they had contributed to. Comic covered his mouth as he yawned, bits of moisture collecting in the lower edges of this eye sockets. He slid off the bed and stuffed his socked feet into his slippers, twisting his ankles in a quick and dirty stretch.

Frisk got out of his way as he rounded the bed and opened the door, avoiding looking at them. "I'll uh, go get whoever took my room... So don't worry about it..." He left.

Frisk stood on the plush carpet, biting their lip to stop themselves from crying. Comic had _every right_ to hate them. They were the reason his life was so horrible. Even if it was never their intention, they had caused him untold suffering; and they continued to do it, for their own selfish reasons, over and over and over. _He had every right to hate them._

But that knowledge didn't make rejection any less painful.

After collecting themselves, Frisk left the room. They saw Comic coming back from his room, dragging a still sleeping Dance by one leg across the floor. Dance was snoring loudly, arms hanging limply on either side of his head as he was pulled toward the stairs. After having such a long, emotionally taxing day yesterday, Dance was not ready to do anything but sleep.

As Comic started down, Frisk quickly took hold of Dance's hoodie near the back of his neck, holding him up as they descended, keeping his skull from making any painful contact with the stairs. Comic naturally slowed down to a pace that Frisk could keep up with, almost as though the whole thing had been planned. Frisk carefully lowered Dance back down at the bottom of the stairs, letting Comic continue to drag him until he let him go in front of the TV, next to the pile of dirty materials.

Stretch came in from the front door, carrying Lust, who was once more curled up in the orange sweater. His slow breathing and slack jaw made it clear he was not waking up any time soon. Slim smugly chewed on his cigarette, watching as Stretch put Lust down on the couch. Red came in last, kicking the door shut behind him irritably.

Rus came out of the kitchen, his chief hat now decorated with a smoldering flame and his apron covered in red splotches. "BREAKFAST IS READY!!!! BROTHER, WILL YOU HELP ME PASS OUT THE FOOD??"

Comic smiled. "I think that's _pasta_ ble!"

"SANS!" Rus screamed. Frisk covered their mouth, tiny giggles bubbling up.

"You really shouldn't get _saucy_ with your brother, Comic," Stretch grinned.

"Don't worry, this is the usual _rotini_!" Comic's grin got wider.

"SANS!!"

" _Orzo_ it would seem..!" Slim snickered.

"Ain't that _pici_?" Red snickered.

"SANS!!!"

"What? I didn't say _penne_ -thing!"

"SAAANS!!!!"

Frisk broke down into uncontrollable laughter. Their voice climbed into the air, twinkling and glittering and pealing like bells, their body shaking so hard they lost their footing and sank to the floor, shielding their face with their arms. Comic froze, having almost forgotten they were there in the midst of his joking. His face flushed a florescent blue as he turned to look at them. Stretch watched Comic's reaction, thoughtful.

Rus rubbed his head. "REALLY HUMAN?!?! DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!!" he reached over and grabbed Red's arm. Red went rigid. "YOU CAN HELP ME INSTEAD, GRUMPY BROTHER!" He declared, pulling Red into the kitchen. Red sputtered, torn between a dozen different feelings, none of which he was comfortable with (except anger). Rus didn't seem to notice or understand, because he started handing Red plates of spaghetti. Red ground his teeth, deciding he would get his own plate faster if he didn't fuss. So he came back out and handed the food to the others. Slim smirked at him as he took a plate. Red gave him the finger before going back in for more.

"I wish I knew how he did that," Slim said more to himself than anyone else.

"Do what?" Stretch asked, looking down at the plate he had been handed.

"Rus just... I don't know, makes the whole room feel completely devoid of tension. Its like he's a walking antidepressant. I wish I knew how he did it."

"Beats me. Sure would be useful for handling Red if we knew, though..." Stretch agreed.

"My bro so cool, isn't he?" Comic bragged, smiling. "He can make friends with almost anyone. Even little balls of dysfunction and pride like Red."

"Call me that again an' I'll drown ya in yer own blood," Red sneered, slamming a plate into Comic's hand. "An' quit talkin' about me behind my back."

"But you can hear us, so it isn't really behind your back," Stretch pointed out.

Red gave him a dirty look as he dropped the next plate next to Frisk. Frisk looked at it with trepidation. They loved Rus, but they knew his cooking was less than the best.

Red went back in and came out with two more plates. One he dropped next to Dance's head. He then leaned against the wall next to Slim and scarfed down the food as fast as he could. A weak groan escaped him. "It's even worse fresh..!"

Slim looked down at his own plate. He took a bite. A shudder made its way up his spine. He ate the rest as fast as possible, tasting a little as he could manage.

Comic watched them, his face turning a bit green. Stretch felt his own body shudder just looking at them. Frisk had to look away.

Rus came in with one more plate. He set it down carefully next to Lust. "NOW THAT I'VE MADE SURE YOU ARE ALL FED, I MUST GO TO WORK! THERE IS MORE IF YOU WANT IT!" He hugged Comic. "I'LL LET YOU OFF SENTRY DUTY SINCE YOU ARE WATCHING THE HUMAN! HAVE A GOOD DAY BROTHER! NYEH HEH HEH!" And with that, he was gone.

Frisk looked back down at their plate, and nudged it away a bit. Comic chuckled. "I don't blame ya, kid."

"If you don't want it, give it here," Slim said. "There's no sense in wasting food."

"Ya call this food?" Red laughed. "Nah, see, food is somethin' _edible_."

"Ya ate it, didn't ya?" Stretch retorted, handing his plate to Slim.

"When yer hungry enough, long enough, ya learn not t' be too picky about what ya stuff down yer throat." Red shrugged, spinning his clean plate on the tip of one of his claws. "Even if it tastes like shit. If it ain't poison, I'll eat it." Slim nodded in agreement.

"That's very sad..." Frisk said softly.

Red shot the human a dirty look. "Mind yer own business, brat."

Frisk shut their mouth quickly, looking away. "Sorry..."

* * *

Dance and Lust were both jarred out of their sleep by a scream.

"NNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Came a voice from outside. "HUMAN!!!! GET OUT HERE AND DIE LIKE A MAN!! WOMAN!? CHILD??"

"FUCK!" Red gasped, dropping the exposed wire he had been trying to patch up. At the sound of the scream, he had jumped, and his hand slipped onto the conductive material not protected by rubber. Electricity had then surged into him, burning his finger.

While Dance and Lust had been asleep, the others had made decent headway building the machine.

"Is that Alphys..?" Slim asked no one in particular, peaking out the front door window as he wiped grease from his fingers.

"CALM DOWN UNDYNE!" Rus tried to console the other screamer. "W-WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THE HUMAN IS EVEN HERE???" There was a slight bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Guess that answers that question," Stretch said with a sigh, carefully picking up the wire Red had dropped. He wasn't particularly interested or alarmed. "Where did that tire go..?" He muttered, looking around. He figured a bit of rubber would help insulate more than just the tape.

"THE COWARD NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN WATERFALL! I WOULD HAVE KNOWN IF THEY DID! THAT MEANS THEY ARE TRYING TO HIDE HERE IN SNOWDEN!" Undyne snarled, sounding closer.

Comic put down the screwdriver he had been using to open a dented toaster, intending to gut the parts, and bounded up to stand on the top of the couch. Nudging the curtain out of the way with a finger, he looked out the window. "Damn..." He pulled the curtain back shut, rounding back on the others. "We gotta hide you. All of you."

"Why..?" Lust asked, still groggy.

"Because Undyne is the attack-first-ask-questions-later type," Comic said, panic making his voice tense.

"Nothin' new, then," Red grumbled, wrapping the tape around the wire as Stretch held the strip of rubber in place.

"UNDYNE PLEASE!!!!! YOU'RE SCARING THE CITIZENS!!!" Rus pleaded.

"I DON'T CARE!!!!!! NGAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" There was the sound of magic, and a whoosh, and a loud thunk. Undyne had chucked a spear into the ground near Sans' mailbox. "COME OUT AND FACE ME, HUMAN!!!!!!!!"

Frisk jumped at the noise, shaking a little. They took a deep breath and headed for the door, a determined look on their face.

Comic gripped their arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

Frisk looked back at him. "Take the machine and the parts and go somewhere else. That way, if I die, you won't lose your progress."

Comic started to sweat. "What are you saying..?"

Frisk smiled. "I'll be alright. But we can't avoid this much longer. Undyne isn't the patient type."

Comic's smile tightened. "You can't beat her, so why not stand back and let the adults handle it?"

Frisk's eyebrow rose. "Oh? Does that include you? The guy who thinks ketchup is a food group? _So_ adult."

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets, winking. "My eating habits aren't even the point. 'Point is that we need you to _not die_ , ok kiddo? I've done a pretty good job of protecting ya so far, right? Trust me a little."

Frisk bit their lip, looking at the door. "But..."

Comic pulled the human back from the door. "No butts, kiddo. I get it, you're used to taking care of this yourself, but right now we need to avoid a RESET."

"Technically it would be a _CONTINUE_ , not a _RESET_ ; they're a little different..." Frisk mumbled, knowing it didn't matter in this case.

Lust slid off the couch. "So what do you want us to do?"

Comic thought about it. "Let's go to one of your universes. We'll bring the kid. If we just wait, eventually Undyne will think the human slipped away."

"We can go to my house! Humans never get killed in my universe!" Lust smiled.

"No." Comic said a little too quickly. He didn't like the idea of Frisk being in a world like Lust's.

"Not mine. We have enough human trouble," Dance said firmly.

"What the hell do we have t' run for?! _It's just fuckin' Undyne!_ Kick her ass hard enough an' she'll crawl home with her scaly tail between her legs!" Red snapped. "Stop bein' such sissy ass-"

The front door was blown open. "WHO THE HELL SAID THAT?!" Undyne snarled, spear gleaming in one hand.

Slim jumped back to avoid being slammed into the wall. "Great job, Red..." He muttered.

Undyne stopped in the doorway, almost dropping her spear. "Wha-?"

Comic started to sweat. "Uh......"

Rus ran to stand just behind Undyne. "UM I CAN EXPLAIN??!?!???!?!"

Undyne looked around the room. She raised her empty hand, pointing to each skeleton in turn. "One... two... three... four Sans'...... and... One, two..." She turned around slightly to point at Rus, "Three Papyrus'......"

Rus grinned nervously. "UH, YOU SEE, MY BROTHER PLAYED A PRANK ACROSS SPACE AND TIME AND IT GOT OUT OF HAND... SO NOW WE HAVE MORE BROTHERS!"

Undyne lost her grip on her magic due to the shock, staring dumbfounded around the room. "So- uh- this is- uh..."

Comic sighed in relief. The shock had made Undyne forget all about the human.

Lust got up. "Need to sit down, honey?" He took her hand, guiding her to the couch. Undyne didn't put up much of a fight. Lust patted her hand, then turned to Comic. "You got any tea in that kitchen of yours?"

"THATS A GREAT IDEA!" Rus exclaimed, pulling up the broken door and placing it back in the doorframe. "I'LL GO MAKE SOME RIGHT NOW!" He started trying to carefully pick his way around the scattered metal bits in front of the kitchen doorway.

Stretch patted Papyrus's shoulder. "I'll get it. You wait here with your friend." He snapped his fingers and disappeared, taking a shortcut to the kitchen to avoid stepping on the parts. Rus blinked, shrugged, and sat next to Undyne.

Undyne jumped three feet into the air. "WHAT THE HELL-?!"

Comic smacked his hand into his face. "Well, thats out in the open now..."

Rus patted Undyne's shoulder. "OH, DON'T MIND THAT SO MUCH, UNDYNE! SANS DOES IT ALL THE TIME!"

"SINCE WHEN?!" Undyne shrieked.

Rus shrugged. "I'M NOT REALLY SURE! A WHILE?? HE'S SUCH A LAZYBONES HE'D RATHER WARP SPACE AND TIME THAN WALK!"

Comic blinked at his brother. The way he talked, it's as if Rus had known about Comic's shortcuts since long before this whole mess. In a way, that made sense -- Rus hadn't been particularly startled when they had used the power in front of him before. Comic felt a little silly. How did he expect to hide something like teleportation from his amazing brother?

"SO YOU CAN DO THAT TOO???" Undyne pressed.

"WELL, NO... I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT! BUT MAYBE I CAN LEARN???" Rus replied.

"Doubt it, buddy," Slim drawled, leaning against the wall. "Pretty sure it's somethin' that comes from DT." He pulled out a cigarette, and lighting it with magic, started smoking. He was a little nervous being around someone who was clearly a warrior, someone whom he wasn't familiar with. After all, in his world, 'Undyne' was a scientist, so he wasn't certain of her power.

"THAT'S DISAPPOINTING!" Rus responded.

Red, after gauging Undyne, decided she was less than a threat, and went back to working on the machine. "Who has the wrench?" He asked, annoyed when it wasn't where he left it.

Dance passed it over. He too had decided Undyne wasn't worth getting worked up about, and had started working. "While you're over there, check if section 3 has the spark plug."

"Nope. It's in 4." Red dove back into the panel he had been tinkering with.

Stretch came back out with two cups of tea. He handed one to Undyne, and one to Rus. Then he turned around and walked over to Slim. "Gonna share those?" Slim chuckled, pulling out another stick and lighting it. Stretch took it and sat down to work on an unconnected part of the machine. Slim sat down next to him, pulling over an identical component that was also unfinished.

Undyne watched, sipping her tea. "So, who are all these people again..? They look like you and Sans... Are they relatives?"

Rus grinned. "YES AND NO! TURNS OUT THEY ARE US FROM OTHER UNIVERSES!"

"WHAT?!" Undyne turned to him. "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!!!"

"NOPE! IT IS ALL MY BROTHER'S FAULT! HE TAKES HIS PRANKS TOO FAR!"

"That's so COOL!" Undyne said with awe. She looked back at the work at hand. "So, uh, what are they- you- _they_ doing?"

Lust grinned, sitting on the couch arm next to her now. "We're building a machine that will let us cross dimensions and go home. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Seriously???" Undyne asked incredulously. "Wait, isn't that kinda advanced? You're all, like, Sans and Papyrus, right? So don't you need, I dunno, _smart people_ to do that? Like Alphys?"

Lust looked at her. "Honey, excluding you and cute lil Rus," he said, pointing at Rus as he drank his tea with a smile, "I'm the least qualified person here." He started pointing around the room: At Slim, "Theoretical Physics Ph.D," at Stretch, "Quantum Physics Ph.D," at Red, "Theoretical Physics Ph.D," at Dance, "Masters in Mechanical Engineering," at Comic, "Quantum Physics Ph.D," he pointed at himself "M.D. in Physiology and Chiropractics. See? I'm the least useful here." He giggled. "But none of us are particularly dumb, so don't worry about us!"

"PH.D?!" Undyne turned on Comic. "SINCE FUCKING WHEN?!"

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping himself between Undyne and Frisk. "Uh... I dunno... Since before the Core was built, at least..."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU HALF ASSING YOUR WAY THROUGH SENTRY DUTY INSTEAD OF HELPING ALphys...?!" Undyne stood up to yell at Comic, but her eyes caught hold of Frisk. "Is that a human?"

Comic smiled tightly. "I think thats the TV." He knew it wasn't going to work, but he had to try.

Undyne summoned her spear. "HUMAN! YOUR SOUL IS MY-" Comic was just about to grab Frisk and shortcut to safety when he heard the second magic attack. A jagged red bone flew across the room, smashing the spear to bits before it even left her hand. Undyne turned sharply.

Red pulled himself out of the panel he had been working on, hand still glowing red. "Mitts off, bitch."

Undyne summoned another spear. "YOU DARE PROTECT A HUMAN?!?!?!"

Red shrugged. "Nah, not really. It's just, see, that's OUR human, so WE get t' decide when we kill it. An' we've decided NOT t' kill it fer reasons yer waterlogged brain couldn't understand even if it wanted to."

"YOU WANNA GO, PUNK?!" Undyne snarled.

"Oooooooooh, no, ya don't wanna mess with me. I'd get soooooooo much cathartic release smashing up that pretty face o' yers, let me tell ya." Red grinned, his eye flickering crimson. "I'd have such a **GOOD TIME**!"

Undyne stomped towards Red, punctuating each word with a tremor that shook the house. "YOU. ME. OUTSIDE! NOW!" She loomed over Red, who glared up at her defiantly. "After I'm done with you, the human's SOUL is mine!"

Red smirked. "Perfect. I love sushi on ice."

Dance covered his eye sockets. "Why do you have to pick a fight with everyone?"

"Be gentle, now. You don't wanna track Dust all over this pretty carpet," Slim snickered.

"PLEASE DON'T FIGHT!" Rus pleaded.

"Don't kill her, Red." Comic warned.

Lust sighed. He knew this was going to end badly.

Undyne marched outside, fuming. Red followed after her, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. Slim followed to watch. Lust followed to clean up the mess. Rus followed in the hopes that he could help, somehow. Frisk followed out of worry, although they couldn't be certain for whom. Comic followed to keep an eye on Frisk. Stretch followed out of curiosity. Dance, realizing he had been left behind alone, followed so he wouldn't be left in silence.

Undyne led Red to a clear open area outside of town. When she got to the other side, she turned. "I'll make you submit!"

Red sighed, still smiling. "This is gonna be fun."

The group gathered just outside the treeline, keeping their distance.

Undyne tossed a spear at Red's feet. Red looked at it, an eyebrow raised. "Uh, I think ya missed."

"That isn't meant to hit you! Use it to block!" Undyne spat.

Red stopped. He looked at her. "Yer fuckin' with me, right?"

"IF YOU DON'T BLOCK YOU'RE GONNA DIE REAL QUICK!" Undyne snapped, summoning more spears over her head.

Red looked at her, then at the spear in the snow, then back up at her. Then he burst out into laughter, throwing his head back.

"W-what's so funny?!" Undyne demanded.

Red wiped a red-gold tear from his eye. "Yer serious. Ya actually give yer opponents somethin' ta block with?! What kinda backwards way of fightin' _is_ that! if I'm gonna block," He snapped his fingers, summoning an obscenely large number of bones around him, "I'll do it my way."

Undyne took an involuntary step back. She had never seen so many magical attacks summoned at one time. She grit her teeth. No way he could use them all. It must be all for show. "Suit yourself! I'm not holding back!" She pulled her arm back to throw the first volley of her spears, and-

-she was struck with an incredibly dense wall of bones. Red had sent every single attack he had summoned rushing at Undyne with such speed she hadn't even seen it until it was too late. She was thrown back into the trunk of a distant tree, smashing it and sending both it and her into the snow.

Red laughed. "What was that you said about blocking??"

Undyne stood up, wiping blood from her face. She did a quick CHECK on herself: HP 1400 / 1500. She grit her teeth. This guy was a lot tougher than the 'Sans' she knew; a lot tougher than Papyrus, even, and despite his good nature, Papyrus wasn't a pushover. Undyne began to think that perhaps this wouldn't be so easy. The thought sent a shiver of excitement through her.

Undyne jumped back into position, summoning even more spears than before. She slung them at the skeleton with a whoop of delight. Red yawned, skipping out of the way of each attack. "Ya call that an attack?" Undyne grinned. With a wave of her hand, she cast a green ray out in front of her. Red snapped his fingers, avoiding the spell entirely. Undyne looked around, trying to figure out where he went. A low voice whispered, "Behind ya," right before she felt the bone skewer her middle. Coughing up blood, she felt her HP drop down to 1370 / 1500. She lunged forward, pulling herself off the bone and away from her opponent.

Red snickered. "Awww, did that hurt?"

Undyne snickered back. "So you know about my GREEN attack? You don't like that, do you?"

Red shrugged. "Green ain't my color."

Undyne sent another wave of GREEN at him. Red used his shortcut to evade it. Undyne laughed. "I KNEW IT! YOU'RE SCARED OF MY GREEN MAGIC! AS YOU SHOULD BE!"

Red sneered at her. Hell yeah he was scared of it. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, especially Undyne. "If that's all yer gonna do, I'm gonna get bored."

Undyne threw out more GREEN. Red evaded it again, sending a roiling wave of bones to crash over Undyne. She tried to get out of the way, but she wasn't used to dodging. The force of the blow sent her flying into another tree. Her HP dropped to 1264 / 1500.

Red brushed some snow off his shoulder. "Get up. I'm not done with ya yet."

Undyne pushed herself up again. "You sure talk tough for a little guy!"

"An' you talk tough fer an appetizer."

Undyne grinned. "NGAAAAHHHH!" She launched into a great barrage of spears, faster than before. Again, Red dodged them. He did a backflip, coming to perch on the butt of a spear that had become lodged in a tree, balancing on one leg there. He gave Undyne a smug look, sending out another massive amalgamation of bones. Undyne tried blocking them this time, but her defenses were quickly shattered. Again she was overpowered by the sheer mass of the attack, and knocked to the ground. Her HP was knocked down to 1012 / 1500.

"Face it, lady," Red said, jumping into the snow and coming towards her. "Better monsters 'n you have tried t' do me in, an' failed. What makes ya think ya have a _snowball's chance_ of succeedin'?" He stepped on her chest, pinning her in the snow. A bone materialized in his hand. He flipped it playfully, eyeing her. "So, let's get t' th' real fun. Which do ya wanna lose first? Yer arm? Or yer leg?"

Undyne gripped his ankle, grinning. "Neither!" Keeping a firm hold on Red's leg, she used her other hand to throw GREEN magic at him.

"SHIT-!" Red gasped, his body going rigid.

Undyne slid out from under him. Then she summoned more spears. "Remember to block!" She laughed as she fired her attack.

Red clutched at his now GREEN SOUL, breathing faster. He summoned four Gaster Blasters to protect the four cardinal directions around him, firing shots at the approaching spears to destroy them before they got close.

Undyne's eyes went wide. "THAT! IS! AWESOME!" She threw more spears, watching in fascination as Red obliterated them long before they came within range. As the magic of his eye blazed and pulsed with emotion, Red summoned a dozen of the Blasters behind her. Undyne heard the rumbling of their charging magic, and turned just in time to see them let loose on her. She screamed, engulfed in the blinding light of Red's powerful magic.

Undyne's HP fell down to 148 / 1500.

The GREEN magic dissipated from Red. He fell to his knees, panting. The crimson magic of his eye jittered with panic. He sat there in the snow, clutching at his chest, commanding his body to stop shaking and his SOUL to stop pounding. The Blasters disappeared. Undyne was left, barely standing, in a snowless circle, her armor nothing but ash around her. She sank into the scorched mud, her body burned and blackened.

"UNDYNE!!!!!" Rus screamed, running out to check on his friend.

Stretch took a shortcut and appeared next to Red. He knelt down, his hand resting gently on Red's back. "Calm down... You're alright... Breath..."

Red grit his teeth. "I know that..." He hissed. "What're ya doin'?! I'm in th' middle of a FIGHT here!"

Stretch raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at where Rus was fussing over Undyne, tears in his eyes. "I think the FIGHT is over. You won."

Red laughed softly. "Guess it ain't sushi, since I cooked it..." he joked.

Stretch shook his head, refusing to laugh at that.

"THIS! ISN'T!! OVER!!! YOU PUNK!!!" Undyne gasped, using a spear to haul herself to her feet. "I'M! NOT DONE! I'M-!" She fell back down. Rus caught her, helping her back to her feet. Undyne hissed in pain, his touch aggravating her burns.

"COME NOW, UNDYNE!" Rus chided gently, "THE MATCH IS OVER! THERE IS NO SHAME IN LOSING! IT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE!"

Undyne fought to stand, but every time she got her footing, she seemed to lose it again. She howled in frustration and pain.

Lust sighed. "Make my job hard, why don't ya..." He went over, approaching Undyne. "May I? I promise it'll feel great." Without waiting for her to respond, he sent his magic into her. Undyne bristled at first, but then Rus felt her sag into him, her eyes drifting shut.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, AFFECTIONATE BROTHER?" Rus asked, getting a better grip on his friend, slinging on of her arms over his shoulders.

"Healing, of course!" Lust smiled at the moniker. "Some people get drowsy as a side effect of healing magic. It's nothing to worry about."

Rus grinned. "WELL THANK YOU, THEN!"

Red stood up, brushing snow off his cloths. "I guess we're done here." He snapped his fingers, shortcutting to the shed for some alone time.

Comic let out a breath he had been holding as he watched his brother scoop Undyne up maiden-style and carry her back towards the house. "Welp, that coulda gone better..."

Slim took one last drag of his cigarette before tossing the butt into the snow. "Disappointed? I thought ya wanted her ta live...."

"Yeah, but-"

"Let's just be thankful everyone is going to be alright," Frisk said reasonably.

Comic sighed. "Yeah..."

The group headed back to the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Fight scene fan-service XD
> 
> ~ Rus is exceedingly more observant than anyone gives him credit for.
> 
> ~ Yeah, Red doesn't have the best relationship with his universe's Undyne.


	16. Party Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lust is a slacker, and Red and Slim get very very drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda more fan service, but I don't care because reasons

Undyne gradually began to realize she could hear voices.

"No, that goes there," Comic said.

"Here?" Stretch asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, now wrap those wires around, and-"

"Wouldn't it make more sense to have them curve this way? They wouldn't get tangled with the next set..." Dance suggested.

"That's... brilliant, actually..."

"So I put it here?"

"Yeah, now we add this and-"

There was a loud ZAP.

"FUCKIN' HELL!" Red snarled, licking at his singed claws. "Why do I gotta be on wire duty??"

"'Cuz yer the best at makin' a clean cut," Slim snickered.

"I'll cut YOU, ya piece of-"

"Watch yer language, buddy, there are children present," Comic teased.

Undyne opened her eyes as she felt a cold cloth dab at her forehead. The first thing she was was the human, who flinched the instant they saw Undyne's eyes open. Sitting up, Undyne saw the skeletons once again pooling their efforts on the mysterious machine. Rus had insisted on making a clear path to the kitchen, so the body of the device had been pushed to stand closer to the TV. The room was littered with discarded nuts and bolts.

"Face it, we need more parts," Lust said with a sigh, looking over the blueprints. "We need at least three more of those spark plug thingies, and a ton more metal, and-"

"We KNOW!" Red snapped.

Undyne looked back at the human. Frisk looked back at her, their hands held to their chest. Undyne saw the leather cords tying them together. She snatched the dangling piece, yanking the human closer. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't-"

"Give it a rest, darling," Lust said casually. "I don't wanna have to heal you again, if I can help it."

The others looked up.

"Oh, she's awake," Stretch thought aloud.

"SHE IS AWAKE?!" Rus called from the kitchen. He came running out. "WONDERFUL! I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY! YOU'VE BEEN ASLEEP SINCE YESTERDAY!"

"Yesterday???" Undyne was embarrassed.

"YES! ALPHYS CALLED! SHE WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU! I TOLD HER IT WAS ALRIGHT AND YOU WERE SLEEPING OFF A SPARRING MATCH!" Rus grinned, handing her a glass of water.

Undyne took the water thoughtfully. "Uh, thanks, I guess..."

"THE HUMAN TOOK GOOD CARE OF YOU!" Rus continued, patting Frisk on the shoulder. "SO NOW YOU TWO MUST BE FRIENDS! AND THAT MEANS NO MORE FIGHTING, RIGHT???"

Undyne twitched. "WHO THE HELL SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BEING FRIENDS?!?!"

Rus's face fell for a moment, then he grinned mischievously. "OH! I'M SO SORRY, UNDYNE! I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE UNABLE TO BE FRIENDS WITH HUMANS AND MY NEW BROTHERS! I GUESS IT IS JUST TOO MUCH FOR YOU!"

Undyne sputtered in disbelief at the words. Stretch choked back a laughed. Comic grinned wider, feeling so proud of his brother. "I-I CAN DO IT!" Undyne snapped. "I'LL BE BEST FRIENDS WITH YOU NERDS!!"

"EXCELLENT!" Rus grinned.

"If that's settled, let's go." Dance said, standing up. "We need more parts." He took hold of Comic's arm. "It's your turn, Lust."

"Goodie!" Lust giggled, jumping from the arm of the couch.

"What are they doing??" Undyne asked Rus.

"THEY ARE GOING TO THEIR UNIVERSES TO BORROW STUFF!" Rus explained.

"Other Universes!??!" Undyne gasped. "I WANNA GO!"

"Sorry, Undyne, but it might be better if you stayed here," Comic reasoned.

"WHY?!" Undyne snorted.

"We have to keep a low profile," Comic tried.

"I AM THE MASTER OF STEALTH!" Undyne boasted.

Red snorted. "Yeah, right."

"On three: one, two, three!" Lust counted.

Then the skeletons were gone, leaving Rus, Undyne, and Frisk in the house.

Undyne stared at the room. Then she grinned. It was just like in the videos Alphys had shown her. This is perfect. Now she had a plan.

* * *

"Well, I'mma go to Grillby's. Call me when it's time to leave!" Lust said with audible excitement.

"What, what?!" Dance rounded on him. "Who do you think you are, skipping out on us?!"

"I'm not gonna be any help, anyway. Besides, all this seriousness is makin' me depressed. I need to loosen up! You know where the dump is, and you know where to find me. See ya!" With that, Lust vanished.

"Actually, a break sounds nice..." Slim thought out loud. He vanished.

"I don't fuckin' believe this..." Red couldn't stop himself saying.

"I _could_ use a drink..." Stretch mused, before disappearing.

Dance gaped. Comic put a hand on his shoulder. "Whadda ya expect? We are who we are, and to be fair it's been nothing but work for over a week. This place is harmless enough. Let's relax." Comic flopped on the couch and proceeded to take a long desired nap.

Red took a deep breath. "I'm ain't drunk enough fer this... Welp, what th' hell." He vanished.

Dance sighed. Snapping his fingers, he decided a little music wouldn't hurt. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, making his way inside the building that was decked out in neon lights reading 'Grillby's'.

* * *

Inside, the music pounded with a deep base Dance could appreciate. There were a few smoke machines in the corners of the room, coating the floor in a thin mist that added an atmosphere of mystery. Dance pulled his hood up higher and made his body as small as possible as he worked his way passed the patrons scattered between the door and the bar.

Lust was already in his usual spot, flirting with Grillby, the orange sweater slung over his shoulders like one might a coat. He looked so relaxed, resting his head on one arm, his legs crossed, his body twisted so his spine was visibly curved in a seductive fashion that Lust made look as natural as breathing.

Slim and Stretch had the booth nearest the bar to themselves (most of the other customers were dancing and surging around a platform on the other side of the room). Their hoods were up, shielding their faces like Dance was, but their cloths were more than enough to distinguish them from the rest of the room. Dance saw Red stop next to them, then make his way to the bar to sit next to Lust.

"OH! Decided to play hooky with me, handsome?" Lust teased.

"Look behind ya," Red snorted, pointing with his thumb. Lust obeyed, and a smug grin split his skull. "After ya left, we all caved in like a house o' cards. It don't take much t' make guys like us slack off, ya know?"

"Don't I?" Lust snickered. "Perfect. After the last few nights, we _all_ need a break!"

Red snorted. "Hey, bartender! Gimme th' hardest liquor ya got! An' a thing o' mustard!"

Grillby blinked at Red, taken aback by his appearance and gruff language. Lust smiled reassuringly at him. "Put it on my tab. Also whatever those two want," he pointed to Slim and Stretch, who were sharing smokes.

Dance took a seat next to Lust, opposite Red. He considered ordering something but he wasn't particularly hungry.

Grillby got Red a bottle of vodka, a container of mustard, and a shot glass. Red downed them both in quick succession, his eye light going dull and languid as he seemed to shed a huge weight from his SOUL. Grillby came out from behind the bar and attended to the other two skeletons. His fire seemed to spark in surprise when he caught sight of their faces, but but wrote down their order and shuffled off to the back.

Red mixed his vodka and mustard in the shot glass, downing it in one go with practiced motions. Lust watched him as he worked his way through the bottles. The booze was halfway gone when Red finally spoke. "So dis is what it feels like t' have no worries..." He slurred, taking another shot. "Not a single bit'a VIOLENCE in dis whole damn bar... no sign o' Dust... izz nice..."

Lust smiled. "I knew you'd be a cute drunk."

"I'M NOT CUTE, YA FAIRY BITCH!!!" Red shouted, although the music drowned it out so nobody else really noticed. "I'm not- *hic* -not cute..." He looked at the bottle in his hand. "Dizz izz stronger 'n I rememberz it bein'..." Red blinked a little, feeling a bit dizzy. The fact was that back in his world, his Grillby watered down his alcohol to save money. The Grillby in Lust's world did not. So Red was drinking twice as much, twice as fast as he thought he was.

Back at the booth, Slim had fallen into the same hole. He swallowed his scotch, slamming the bottle on the table. "Heh... nyeh heh heh heh heh..." He picked up his cigarette from the ash tray and took a long drag. "I wish I could show M'Lord this..."

Stretch looked up from his burger. "Show him what?"

Slim took a deep breath, covering his eyes. "This... a world without Dust... A world where he doesn't have t' fight... Heh... Fuck..." He smashed the lit end of the cigarette into the back of his hand, smothering the embers against his bones. "Here I am gettin' trashed, an' he's prob'ly out there, all alone... He doesn't like bein' alone... All I'm good fer is keepin' him comp'ny, and I ain't even doin' that right..."

Stretch took a bite as he listened. Slim was saying out loud what Stretch had been thinking every night he wasn't at his brother's side. After seeing the relationship Slim had with his brother, Stretch hadn't thought much about Razz's side. It was hard for him to imagine Razz being anything like his own brother, whom he read to every night, who still slept with a stuffed animal, who cried whenever he tripped on his scarf and fell over. "Y'know... When we get that machine going... We'll be able to travel freely, right?"

Slim looked up. "Hmm? Yeah..?"

Stretch scratched his mandible. "Well... If ya want... You could always, I dunno... Visit? Bring yer bro? I mean, as long as ya promise not to cause trouble, I don't see why ya can't visit... Sans- uh, my brother, he likes visitors..."

Slim grinned. "That's mighty nice of ya t' offer..." He took another drink. "But aint'cha 'fraid we'll ruin yer lil blueberry's innocence?"

"A bit," Stretch admitted. "But I'm willing to try if you are."

The crowd started to scream louder than before. En mass, they began cheering, "PAPYRUS! PAPYRUS!" Stretch bristled, thinking someone might have seen him. He cautiously peaked over toward the crowd. To his relief (and shock), Lust's brother (Pink) was climbing up onto the large platform. He blew a kiss at one of the girls in the crowd as he wrapped one leg around the pole that extended up into the ceiling. Gripping it with one hand, he lifted himself off the ground and wrapped both legs about the pole, suspending himself upside down by his legs, his spine arched artistically and his brilliant pink abdomen exposed. He laced his fingers together behind his head, looked out at the crowd, and winked. Stretch told himself the rising heat in his face was embarrassment by proxy. After all, that was basically his body that was being put on display.

Slim looked over, humming in approval. "Nice..."

Stretch gaped at him. "You're not serious..!"

Slim eyed him with a smirk, leaning on the arm gripping the bottle which hung haphazardly over his shoulder. "What? I thinkz he lookz de _light_ ful!"

Pink put his hands on the base of the pedestal, slowly shifting his weight from his legs to his arms, curving his spine for both practicality and seductive effect. He then swung his legs down, landing on his feet, and slowly pulled himself upright with the pole, facing the crowd, his abs stretching and flexing with the effort. Screams and cheers and whoops broke over the crowd as Pink hooked his ankles back around the pole and curved backward, running the phalanges of one hand over his skull in a grand display of confidence as he again showed off his porcelain body.

Pink caught sight of Lust at that moment. With a cry of delight, he pulled himself upright. Swinging on the pole, his weight supported by one leg and one arm, he crooked a finger at Lust, indicating he should join him.

Lust leaned back on the bar, smiling suggestively. He didn't move. Pink seemed to realize what he was getting at, and leaned down to someone in the crowd, whispering something. The monster ran to the back of the room, and the music cut off. Then the lights went dimmer than before, and two spotlights in orange and blue colors were pointed on the pedestal. The orange spotlight was directed at Pink, who had his back pressed against the pole, gripping it with both hands; one above his head, the other at the small of his back.

The music came back on, deeper and stronger and more energetic than before. Lust slid from his seat, set the orange sweater on the now empty bar stool, then he snapped his fingers, disappearing. In the darkness, nobody saw him reappear on the ceiling, so when he slid down into the blue spotlight, his weight supported entirely by his legs as he twisted around the pole, the crowd went wild.

The two brothers posed, deathly still, waiting for something. The crowd hushed, watching them expectantly. After a few beats, the music went wild, and so did the skeletons, dancing in sync around the pole and each other. When one went up, the other went down. When one went left, the other went right. Lust let his tongue loose, licking one of his fingers in a way that told a hundred stories. Pink undulated his magic, moving his hips invitingly with a practiced ease. Each motion they made was a promise, a summons, a magical spell, weaving in and around each other with precision that only made their individual dances more mesmerizing.

Dance clawed at the stool under him with both hands, enraptured. It might not be the kind he was used to, but a dance was a dance, and he was in awe of the skill the two skeletons were currently putting on display so casually. Red, shocked nearly to sobriety, gripped his shot class a little too tightly, smashing it in his hand so fast and so hard the contents flew upward and nearly hit him in the face. Stretch clutched at the table, swallowing hard, his face a neon orange. Slim, for his part, was still very drunk, and very impressed. His thoughts began to wander as he watched.

After a very long and yet very short time, the song ended, and the skeletons went still except for the heaving of their chests as they caught their breath. Sweat slicked down every bone in their body, making them sparkle like jewels in the spotlights. There was a moment of silence, and then the cheering began again, fiercer than before. Pink pulled himself upright, then helped Lust down from his spot higher on the pole. They took a bow, throwing winks and kisses into the crowd as they made their way off of the stage.

As another monster took to the pole, the music going back to the low steady bass from before, Lust took hold of Pink's hand, guiding him to the bar.

Pink hugged his brother, nuzzling his head. "I WAS STARTING TO WORRY!" He exclaimed in the very 'Papyrus' like voice.

Lust smiled softly, a smile of pure, innocent affection. "What? Scared I'd _upstage_ ya?"

Pink let go, giving Lust a look of reproach. "NO! I MEAN YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR DAYS AND I WAS SCARED SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED!" His face softened. "DID YOU FINISH YOUR PROJECT?"

Lust shook his head. "No, it broke, so we had to start over. We're in town for more parts, but I just had to unwind!"

"NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE MUSIC TO CLEANSE THE SOUL, RIGHT?"

"Right!"

The others stared at the two brothers in stunned silence. Lust looked at them, smirking. "What? Never seen a guy dance with his little brother before?"

"N-not like THAT!" Dance coughed.

Pink looked them over, his smile changing in constitution. "Well, well, well, what cute guests you've brought back from your travels..." His voice changed dramatically, getting low and sultry. "Are they spoken for, by any chance..?"

"Not by me," Lust replied, picking up the orange sweater and slinging it over his shoulder again. "You're welcome to try, but I haven't had the best luck..."

Pink looked at his brother. He began to snicker. "W-WHAT IS THAT???"

"It's called a sweater, bro."

"IT'S HIDEOUS!"

"I know."

"IT'S WAY TOO BIG FOR YOU!!"

"I know."

"WHERE DID YOU GET IT??"

"It was a gift. Well, a loan."

"FROM WHOM?"

"Comic's little brother."

"WHY??"

"He thought I was going to be too cold."

"WELL, THAT WAS THOUGHTFUL!"

"Yup."

"SEND MY REGARDS!"

"Sure thing."

Dance took a deep breath. "Since when can you move like that?"

Lust looked over at him. "Uh... Maybe since I was 18? 20? Somewhere around there. I've always been pretty agile. Isn't that a trait we all share?"

Dance looked away, cheeks flushed. "I-I guess..."

"You aren't jealous are you? Don't worry. If we ever dance together, I'll let you lead..." Although Lust maintained a healthy distance between them, his voice was like silk fluttering in the air.

Dance flushed a deeper blue. "I told you I don't dance like that..!" he stammered, leaning back a bit.

Lust shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Red picked up the bottle of vodka and downed it straight.

Pink put his arms around him, whispering in his ear sweetly. "If you're stressed out, I can make it better..."

Red spat out his drink, coughing, his face as red as his eye.

Pink giggled. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry..."

"NOT! INTERESTED!" Red coughed out, pounding his sternum to knock himself back into regular breathing rhythms. It was at that moment he realized he had glass embedded in his one hand. "Shit..." He started picking out the pieces, blood leaking out from each place the glass was torn from.

Lust gripped his hand. "When did this happen?!" Red made a vague 'I-don't-know' sound, not even looking up at Lust's touch as he squinted to focus on the glass. His vision was a bit off thanks to the alcohol, but he adjusted his aim for it, prying the last shard from his bones. Lust gripped his wrist and pulled it away from Red gently, healing the tiny incisions. Red purred softly, too drunk to keep his pride entirely protected.

Pink watched with a bit of worry until Lust pulled his hands away, letting Red flex.

"Does that, uh, happen often..?" Lust asked.

"Eh, not really... Just s'not'a big deal..." Red muttered, slumping onto the bar. His eyes drifted shut. Lust smiled softly, watching Red's breathing even out as he drifted to sleep. He had never seen Red sleep before, and even though it was the result of overindulging in drink, Lust couldn't help thinking how sweet he looked, so peaceful.

Pink watched his brother fondly, noticing the look. He turned to look for a chair to steal, so he could sit nearby. It was then that he noticed the two at the booth, still staring at them (with very different looks in their eyes). "HEY BRO, ARE THEY..?"

"Yup."

Pink licked his thumb and smoothed out the top of his skull as if he had hair. He slinked over, taking a seat next to Slim. "Room for one more?"

"Perhapzz," Slim returned, scooting over. His bottle was nearly empty.

Pink looked him up and down. "S&M? It isn't my specialty, but I think I can manage..." he purred as he ran a finger along the rim of Slim's collar.

Slim chuckled, hiccuping a little. "S'ry buddy... I'z already gotz a masterr- *hic* -rr... An' you wouldn't fitz 'n hiz shoezzz..."

Stretch almost spat out his food.

Pink shrugged. "Well, that's alright... If you ever change your mind, just give me a call!"

Slim snickered. "If I callz, it won't be fer y- *hic* -ou..."

Pink blinked, looked back at Lust, and smiled. "Thanks..."

"Anyt- *hic* -time..."

Stretch sank lower in his seat, wishing he had ordered something alcoholic. He didn't need to know that. He did NOT need to KNOW _that_.

"Well," Pink breathed, looking at Stretch, "How about you? You must be the most handsome skeleton I've ever seen! Well, outside of a mirror!" He chuckled as Stretch turned so orange it looked almost yellow. He got up, sliding to sit next to Stretch. "I'm not going to bite... Well, unless you want me to..."

"I- uh- You-!" Stretch was at a loss for words. Pink leaned closer, pressing his femur up against Stretch's, his arm around the back of the seat. Stretch felt sweat slide down the spines of his cervical vertebrae. Pink had a good inch or two on Stretch, so he had to look up a bit, causing him to curve his body in a way that gave Pink more to work with. Pink slid his other hand around and stroked along Stretch's mandible. Stretch slid back further away, breaking the contact. "N-no thank you." He said firmly.

Pink paused, sighed, and pulled away. "WELL, IT WAS WORTH A SHOT!" His voice returning to the familiar lighthearted intonation. Stretch let out a breath.

Lust laughed. " _REJECTED!!_ "

Pink grinned. "SO WERE YOU! BESIDES, YOU KNOW I'M JUST TEASING! I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR METTATON!"

"Th-that was teasing..?" Stretch shivered, pulling on the collar of his hoodie.

Pink grinned. "OF COURSE! I'M SORRY IF I TOOK MY JAPES TOO FAR! SOMETIMES I GET CARRIED AWAY..."

"S'no problemmm" Slim slurred, giggling a little. "Wowwie... thiz iz great booze..."

* * *

A few more dancers came and went. Dance ignored the show, instead focusing on the music and the food he had finally ordered. The only time he even glanced away from the bar was when Lust went back up to dance solo. Dance found himself unable to look away from Lust's performances. Lust noticed, and he made the effort to put on a better show.

Grillby noticed too. "......You like him..?"

"Yeah..." Dance said without thinking. "I- I mean I like the way he moves-! I mean- I have a healthy appreciation for dance in general and-!" Dance found himself getting flustered, and the more he tried to explain the harder it was to find the words.

Grillby chuckled. "...Thats alright. He's out of your league anyway..." He teased, winking as he left Dance another glass of lemonade. Dance gaped at him.

Red had woken up and started on a second bottle of vodka, then his third, convinced it was the best he's ever had. He mixed his mustard in and sucked it down like he'd never had a drink in his life. The magic in his eye calmed to a soft thrumming.

Pink and Stretch had started playing cards together. Slim, who was now on his third bottle of whisky, had played with them until he became too inebriated to read the numbers. Stretch had given in and had two glasses of beer. He was sober.

That was when Comic strode into the bar, a sack slung over his shoulder. "Yo!" He said with a wave as he approached. "Dump's picked clean. I got a few good parts, but we're done here."

"Already?" Dance asked, surprised. "I thought you were taking a nap..?"

"I did. For about an hour. It's all I needed. After all, I'm the one whose been sleeping in my own bed every night. Or at least my own house." He grinned. "Figured you guys deserved to unwind, so I went without ya."

"Well, thanks..." Dance really was appreciative. He didn't know how much he needed this break until now.

Comic winked. "No prob. You didn't get too crazy without me, did ya?"

Lust giggled. "Not really, just the usual."

Red chugged the last of his bottle. "Lezz go..." He mumbled, a little cross-eyed.

Slim tried to stand up, but he lost his balance and had to lean against the booth. "Gimme a minute... Fer some reason... I'z not holdin' m' liquor so good..."

Stretch got up and slid an arm around Slim for support. "You drained a whole bottle in half an hour, then kept going. What did you expect?"

"'M nozza ligh'weigh'..." Slim argued.

Comic snickered. "Guess we'd better wait until those two sober up, huh?"

"We can go now..." Red insisted.

Lust shrugged. "We could try, but my experience is that drunk shortcuts don't always work well."

Dance shifted. "Lets try anyway. I'd like to get to work as quickly as possible."

"Me toooo," Slim slurred, leaning on Stretch as he stood back up.

"Let'z gooooo," Red growled, getting off the stool. He stood straight enough, but he seemed to sway a bit from one side to another. He snatched at Lust's arm, starting to make the link.

Comic sighed. "Is doing it here alright, Lust?"

Lust shrugged. "Nobody is gonna notice, except Grillbz. And he's cool."

Comic nodded.

_Another countdown._

_Another loud crack._

_A strange buzz._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So um...
> 
> ~ Red drinks vodka  
> ~ Slim drinks whiskey  
> ~ Comic and Stretch both drink beer (Stretch likes the spider stuff Muffet makes better but he can't complain)  
> ~ Lust drinks martinis  
> ~ Dance drinks wine
> 
> Also yeah guys that was a bad idea. don't drink and drive.


	17. Mistakes Were Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which mistakes were made, and Comic suffers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short, but I wanted to end it here.

Comic found himself sleeping on the couch; Not 'he woke up and realized he was sleeping on the couch again,' but 'he stood next to the couch, looked down, and saw another version of himself sleeping there.' This new 'Sans' was identical down to the smallest detail; every rumple of his blue jacket, every stain on his off white shirt, every creese in his black jogging pants. The only differences that could possibly distinguish them from each other were a blue ribbon around his neck, attached to which was a bell, and a small metal anklet on his left leg.

"Where is the machine...?" Lust asked, nervous.

"Where are all the parts..?!" Dance asked even more nervously.

Slim sagged into Stretch, eyes drifting shut. Stretch had to lower him down to the floor, leaning him against the wall. "I think we messed up..." he said quietly.

"I _know_ we messed up..." Comic returned, setting down his bag of goodies.

"If dat brat did another rezet I'mma KICK there azzzzz..!" Red spat, blinking spots from his eyes as his head began to swim. "Afder my nap..." He sank to the floor, passing out again.

"I told you so," Lust said in a sing-song voice. They looked over Comic's shoulder. "This one sure looks a lot like you!"

"We ALL look alike," Dance said, sitting on the floor. He rubbed his head. "How could this happen..!"

Stretch picked up Red and put him next to Slim against the wall. "I think one of them, in their inebriated state, probably affected Comic's aim." He said as he sat down next to them. "They might have forgotten, or been unable, to clear their minds, so the frequency of the shortcut was changed."

"What, so we accidentally mixed shortcut destinations like wet paint?" Lust snickered. "I didn't know we could do that!"

"Neither did I..." Comic admitted. He should have known better. He HAD known better. He shouldn't have given in to the popular vote.

The other Sans blinked sleepily, looking up at Comic in dazed confusion. Comic put on his best smile and waved. The other 'Sans' didn't quite register what he was seeing at first, but the moment he did, his face was contorted in panic and he let out a scream. He pushed himself off his back, into a sitting position, pressing himself as far away from Comic, as deep into the back of the couch, as he could manage. He clutched at the little bell around his neck. "WHAT THE HELL-?!" His voice was coated in alarm.

Comic backed up, holding his hands up in that universal gesture of harmlessness. "Easy, there, bud, we didn't mean to scare ya."

The other Sans looked around the room, his eye lights darting left and right as he took in the sight of the group in his livingroom. He was about to open his mouth when there was a loud buzzing and the sound of a phone ringing. Comic recognized it as the same ringtone he himself used to differentiate his brother from other callers. The 'Sans' scrambled to pull his cell phone from his pocket, sweat now beading on his skull. He answered, his hand shaking. "H-heya bro!"

Comic just barely heard the voice on the other line.

"SANS! WHAT IS WRONG?? YOUR HEART RATE SKYROCKETED!!!"

The Sans's face contorted in a familiar look of self deprecation, as if he had forgotten something that should have been obvious and at the forefront of his mind. He instinctively put on a tense smile. "S-sorry, bro. False alarm. Just had a bad dream is all."

"WHERE ARE YOU???"

"You _know_ where I am - right here on the couch, right where you left me."

"AND YOU'RE ALONE???"

"Nobody here but _me, myself, and I_." The Sans glanced nervously at the others in the room, but his voice didn't betray any sign of a lie. Comic might have thought it was the funniest thing he'd heard all day, if the whole conversation wasn't setting off red flags in his head.

"I'M COMING HOME!!!"

"What? Why?" The Sans swallowed hard. "I mean, you've been skipping practice a lot lately..."

"IT IS NO TROUBLE! BESIDES, NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY BROTHER!!! SEE YOU SOON! I LOVE YOU!!!"

"Heh... Love you too, bro..." Sans hung up, taking a deep breath. "I got no idea who you are or where you came from, but you gotta leave. Now."

Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Not very hospitable, are we?"

"I don't have time to worry about your feelings, pal," The Sans snapped. "Grab your stuff and go back where you came from."

"Love to, but can't," Stretch chimed in, standing up. "Gonna be a while before these two lushes are back in working order."

The Sans changed a strange color, clutching tighter to his bell. He hadn't seen Stretch earlier. "N-now you REALLY have to go..!"

"Like the big guy said, no can do." Dance sighed.

"Then HIDE! All of you. Hide. Right. Now." The Sans fumbled in his pocket until he produced a silver key. "Around back, there's a locked door behind the house. Hide in there. Quick..!"

Comic took the key. "You want us to hide in the lab..? Why?"

The Sans stood up, sweating nervously. "Because that's the only place he won't look."

Stretch put his hands over the two drunk skeletons and took a shortcut into the Lab with them. Lust shifted nervously, but he left too. Dance eyed Comic before following after Lust. Comic sighed, then took hold of the bag of materials and complied with the other Sans's wishes.

The Sans laid back on the couch, rubbing his head, trying to keep beating of his SOUL that constituted his heart rate as even as possible.

* * *

In the lab, Dance paced. "How long do we have to wait?"

"Depends on them, I guess," Lust said, looking at Red and Slim, who had been laid up against the back wall.

"We should make the best of this, and scavenge for parts while we're here," Dance decided. "Let's go."

"Someone needs to stay here with these two..." Lust mused. "I'll do that."

"Something is wrong in this place... We'd better work fast," Comic observed.

"In and out," Stretch agreed.

The three skeletons left, leaving Lust behind with the other two.

Lust spread the orange sweater down on the floor between the sleeping skeletons and sat down, feeling oddly lonesome. His SOUL burned again already. He kicked himself for not taking better advantage of his trip home earlier.

Red shifted in his sleep, his spine turning slightly and then going rigid. He lost balance and slid to the side, his head about to smash into the floor. Lust quickly gripped his shoulder, easing Red down so his skull was cushioned in Lust's lap. Red's face was tense, like he was stressed about something, his teeth clenched tightly shut. One of his legs jolted a bit, reminiscent of the motion of running. Lust frowned, stroking the sleeping skeleton's skull, caressing the cartilage under his jaw with slow, gentle circular motions. Red let out a soft noise, nuzzling into the touch, his body relaxing. It made Lust's SOUL swell.

Lust looked to his other side, checking on Slim. The larger Skeleton was nestled in the corner, his head resting against the perpendicular wall. His brow ridges were curved inward, an expression of worry. Lust reached out and took hold of his nearest hand, thumbing the inside of Slim's palm. Slim seemed to relax a bit more, his face softening, his fingers curling to meet Lust's as he continued to snore softly.

Knowing that doing any more than this would be unfair to everyone involved, Lust leaned back against the wall and focused his attention on the cold surface. He could hold out until they got back. He could endure this much.

No matter how much he wanted more.

* * *

The three skeletons dove into the dump with a vigor. It was full of usable parts. Dance pounced on a discarded car engine, gutting it for usable pieces. Stretch sorted through pits of wood and plastic, looking for insulation (and maybe some nails). Comic eyed the other pile, but decided he could get more work done with less effort if he went to the waterfall and watched for new pieces to fall in.

Comic rounded the corner to the waterfall. He sat down on the dry platform, crossing his legs and watching the water come down. It was such a soothing noise, Comic started to doze off. So he didn't hear when someone approached from behind.

"SANS..?" Papyrus's voice exclaimed. Comic jumped to his feet, and saw that there indeed was Papyrus, complete in his red and white Battle Body, holding a brown paper bag. He looked angry, and hurt, and his voice was lower than usual, more tense. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Comic thought quickly. This must be the Papyrus of this universe. Maybe he could play it off. "Uh... fresh air?"

"NO. I MEAN..." Papyrus reached down and gripped Comic gently but firmly about the neck. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITHOUT YOUR BELL? WITHOUT YOUR MONITOR?" His face seemed to darken. "YOU SAID YOU WERE AT HOME..."

Comic looked up at him, his body going rigid. Something was very wrong with this. Comic put his hands around the larger skeleton's wrists without thinking. He didn't have a response for this. His sharp wit was failing him. "Uh..."

"YOU WEREN'T TRYING TO RUN AWAY AGAIN, WERE YOU?"

"M-me? Run? I'm to lazy for that..." Comic grinned nervously.

"THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR!" Papyrus smiled, but the expression was tinged with something Comic was unfamiliar with. "LETS GO HOME!" With a sweep of his hand, he took hold of Comic's SOUL with BLUE magic. Comic bristled. He had never had this happen to him before. He felt himself lifted into the air and pulled along beside Papyrus, away from the dump (and the others).

Comic began to panic. "DANCE! STRETCH! GUYS!!!" he called out, clutching at his chest as if at hands that were holding him up. "HEL-" Papyrus squeezed down on Comic's SOUL, making it feel like he was suffocating. Comic wreathed and shuddered, eyes starting to water. After a few moments, the pressure eased up, and Comic sucked in air, coughing.

"YOU MADE NEW FRIENDS?" Papyrus asked. "YOU TALKED TO STRANGERS?? YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT BOTHERS ME WHEN YOU RUN OFF LIKE THIS..." His voice sounded hurt, but his face looked angry. "YOU PUT THE MONITOR ON THE DOG AGAIN, DIDN'T YOU??? JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU NOT TO WORRY ME..!"

Comic got his breathing back to normal. Filled with a sudden fear, he tried to repel the magic. He clawed at the air, grunting with effort. He tried casting BLUE on himself, to see if it would nullify the effect. It did not. He tried physically shaking, as if the magic would simply fall off if he resisted it enough. Papyrus watched out of the corner of his eyes, plodding along methodically.

"You're just wear yourself out. You know that." The taller skeleton said after a while.

"Heh... maybe..." Comic admitted, panting. He was pretty much spent. Time to try telling the truth. "L-look, I know what this looks like, but I'm telling you there is a _big_ misunderstanding. See, I'm not _really_ your brother, and-" The pressure increased on him again, making him struggle to breath.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT!!!" Papyrus shouted, sounding like he might cry and strike him at the same time. "YOU _ARE_ MY BROTHER! YOU ARE MY PRECIOUS BIG BROTHER AND I LOVE YOU AND EVERYTHING ELSE BE DAMNED!!!"

The pressure on Comic's SOUL continued for so long, he lost the strength to struggle. His head became foggy, his vision began to go black, losing consciousness from lack of magical circulation. He felt his HP tick down a few decimal points right before he blacked out entirely.

* * *

Comic came back to himself slowly. The air on his face was spiced with the bite of winter, but he was tucked close to something warm. He caught the faint lingering scent of burnt noodles and tomato sauce, of metal and damp fabric: Papyrus. He was being carried by Papyrus. That wasn't unusual. His brother was always picking him up and carrying him to and from his sentry station. Comic relaxed, snuggling into the larger skeleton's chest, thinking about going back to sleep. A large hand rubbed his back soothingly, and there was the sound of crinkling paper.

Then he remembered: He was not _home_. He was nowhere near _home_. Comic practically jumped, pushing away from the skeleton that was and yet was not his brother. He fell out of the skeleton's arms, landing badly on his tailbone with a yelp. Papyrus looked down at him as he blinked, adjusting to the snow's glare.

"DON'T MOVE SO SUDDENLY! YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF!!" Papyrus exclaimed, reaching down to help him up. Comic scuttled backward in the snow. Papyrus looked hurt for a moment, then he clenched his fists and stood upright.

"Will you just listen to me, for five minutes?" Comic tried, pushing to his feet. "I'm telling you that I'm not-"

Papyrus launched forward, gripping Comic's radius and ulna together in one hand. He squeezed down, straining the bone. Comic's eye lights jittered from the pain. "DON'T. SAY. IT. SANS." Papyrus commanded. "DON'T TEST MY PATIENCE AFTER I'VE ALREADY FORGIVEN YOU."

Comic shook, panting. He squeezed his eye sockets shut, clenching his teeth, refusing to scream. Papyrus clutched harder. There was a loud snap. Comic's eyes shot open. His teeth parted, but no noise came out. A small bloodstain began to form on the sleeve of his jacket, pale at first, but growing more vibrant and spread out.

Papyrus let go. Comic sank into the snow, holding his broken arm to his chest, trembling.

Papyrus sighed. "I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT. YOU MADE ME DO THAT, SANS." Comic hardly heard him, he was half gone from the pain. He knew his HP had ticked down even further. In truth, Comic was surprised he had survived at all. Papyrus stroked Comic's face tenderly. "NOW LETS GO HOME AND GET YOU PATCHED UP."

When Comic did not move, Papyrus picked him up with BLUE magic and carried him the rest of the way home, careful not to jostle him too much. Comic didn't have the presence of mind to fight back.

When Papyrus opened the front door, the other Sans, who had been laying on the couch, looked over at the noise. "Welcome back, br-" He froze, seeing Comic as he was floated into the house.

Papyrus closed the door, then froze, looking between the two of them. "SANS??" He grinned wider. "WHY, SANS! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD CLONE YOURSELF!!" He sat his bag down and bounded over to the other Sans, hugging him. "HOW WONDERFUL!! I COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER GIFT!!!!" He pulled away, looking back at Comic. "GO GET THE MEDICAL KIT, SANS!"

The other Sans looked back at Comic, saw the blood, and gulped. He scrambled off the couch and up the stairs, returning quickly.

Papyrus took the med kit, floating Comic over to settle him on the couch. "REMOVE YOUR JACKET, NEW SANS!" Comic didn't even look up. Papyrus sighed. "SANS, PLEASE HELP NEW SANS REMOVE HIS JACKET."

The other Sans hesitated a moment, but then gently took hold of the sleeve that clung to Comic's unbroken arm. He quickly got that arm out of the jacket, pulling that half of the jacket around Comic's back, and then slowly and carefully eased the other sleeve out from around his injury. Comic gasped and moaned in pain through clenched teeth, wondering distantly how Red and Slim had kept so quiet before.

Papyrus inspected the break. Comic's ulna was snapped clean in half. Both the radius and ulna were badly bruised and discolored in a distinctive handprint pattern, the break being underneath the thumb of the print. Comic looked away, feeling sick. His arm wasn't supposed to look like that.

Papyrus pulled out a splint and some gauze. He took off his gloves and gently cradled the arm in his hand. Comic pulled away, pain shooting up and down. Papyrus motioned for the other Sans, who took the queue and got behind Comic, gripping his upper arm in both hands. Comic cried out as Papyrus snapped the broken ends of his bone back into place, tears sliding down his face. Papyrus quickly wrapped his arm. After tying it off, Papyrus pulled away, putting the kit to the side. Comic forced himself to breath, grateful the pain was ebbing to something more tolerable. The other Sans pulled away from him, letting Comic pull his arm back into his chest.

"S-see?" Comic gasped at last. "I'm not _your_ 'Sans'. I'm a different 'Sans'. So, uh, if you'll turn off this BLUE, I'll just be goin-"

Papyrus waved his hand. Three blue bones were thrown into Comic, one landing in his lumbar vertebrae and one in each femur. Comic immediately went deathly still. The other Sans flinched as each attach was thrown. The BLUE magic on his SOUL dissipated, but Comic did not dare to move.

"PLEASE DON'T GET UP. I'LL BE BACK WITH A GIFT FOR MY NEW BROTHER!" With that, Papyrus went upstairs.

Comic was sweating profusely now, holding as still as he could. So long as he didn't move, the blue bones wouldn't hurt him. He knew that. He also knew that, if he DID move, he'd lose the use of his legs at best, and his life at worst.

The other Sans looked away, rubbing his face with one hand. "I thought I told you guys to get out of here..."

Comic would have laughed it he wasn't sure it would cripple him. "We can't, remember?"

"Who are you people anyway?"

"Are you familiar with the theory of alternate universes?"

"Yes..."

"There you go."

"So, what, you're an alternate version of me?"

"Are you 'Sans the Skeleton'?"

"Yes..."

"Me too."

"And the others were..?"

"Same. Sorta. It's complicated. You'd need to be there."

"Fair enough."

"Ok, now that you're all caught up, can ya help me outa this? I'm kinda in a _bind_ here."

The other Sans raised an eyebrow. "Do I look dumb to you?"

Comic opened his mouth to respond, but Papyrus came back downstairs, holding a metal anklet and a yellow ribbon. With a grin, he tied the ribbon around Comic's neck. Comic didn't have to look down to know it had a bell on it (he could hear the jingling). Papyrus next attached the anklet to Comic's leg. Comic would have kicked his hands away, had it not been for the paralyzing fear of taking lethal damage. Papyrus pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons, then pressed a small button on the anklet. He waited for a moment, then smiled when he got a confirmation jingle on his phone. "THERE! ALL DONE! NOW I'LL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AND IF YOU'RE SAFE," he said, putting his phone away.

Comic grit his teeth, forcing himself to smile. "Wanna let me loose now, buddy?"

"OF COURSE!" Papyrus waved his hand, making the blue bones disappear, but gripping Comic once more in BLUE magic. Comic patted down where he had felt the icy touch of the magic, checking and rechecking that everything was in working order. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Papyrus picked up the other Sans, and sat down on Comic's good side, settling the other Sans in his lap. The other Sans didn't protest, used to being moved around without warning. Papyrus then pulled Comic in closer, wrapping his arm around Comic's shoulder. As the BLUE magic dissipated, Comic felt how painfully hard Papyrus was clutching at his shoulder and arm, his phalanges digging into him, making him wince. He tried to pull away, but Papyrus just yanked him back, pinning him against his chest and hip. The jostling sent lances of pain running through Comic's broken arm, shaking a cry out of him. Papyrus eased up on his hold, rubbing Comic's humerus soothingly.

The whole situation made Comic want to cry. He couldn't take a shortcut with Papyrus touching him. His arm was on fire, and every attempt at motion only made it worse. He had no idea if the others knew where he was, or would think he was in trouble. And worst of all, he knew his own loving little brother was going to start to worry.

The other Sans leaned back into Papyrus, patting the arm wrapped around his middle with both exasperation and affection. The two skeleton brothers watched TV in relative silence while Comic tried to fight down a panic attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAHAHAHAHAHHA! You weren't expecting Yandere!Papyrus to show up, were you? NOPE!
> 
> AND NOW LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!! >:]
> 
> I've waited for this! This was a pain in the ass to write and I hope I managed to do Yandere Papy justice!
> 
> ~ For those who care, Pap was at Undyne's when he called his bro, and was on his way home when he found Comic. The bag had leftover food in it.
> 
> ~ Pap has an app on his phone for the ankle monitor -- it tells him Sans' heart rate (or SOUL rate in this case) and location to within about 15 feet. When the heart rate reaches a certain point the app sends Pap an alert. He bullied it out of Alphys.
> 
> ~ Pap is so happy to have a new brother to love. he is already very attached.


	18. Mistakes were Made 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Comic is rescued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yandere!Papyrus doesn't really belong to a particular AU that I'm aware of, so I spent this chapter fleshing out the universe I think he appears in, finding the changes that would cause a guy like Pap to spiral into... that...
> 
> So yeah see if you can figure out what happened. If you're too lazy to guess I'll explain at the end.

The shadows of night crept over the water as Stretch picked up the bucket of parts that he and Dance had filled. Looking inside, the magic of his eyes his primary light source, he blinked. "Hey, Comic, have you even bothered putting your stuff in-" He stopped. He realized he hadn't heard a word from Comic for a while now. Not since they had arrived. Hours ago. "Comic..?"

Only the rushing water answered.

Dance put the last gear he had gathered into the bucket. "Y'know, washing them here does seem to save effort..."

"Have you seen Comic?"

"Uh..." Dance blinked. Stretch saw the same thoughts flash across his face that had occurred to him. "Where is he?" They both looked at each other, then took off in opposite directions, looking all over the dump, calling out the lost skeleton's name. They searched all over the dump, digging through trash piles thinking maybe he had fallen asleep and gotten smothered.

"Comic! Come out now!"

"This isn't funny!"

Stretch forced his hands into his pockets, willing himself to breath evenly. Hyperventilating would get them nowhere. Sure, he was standing ankle deep in dirty water, in an alternate reality, and one of the alternate versions of his little brother had vanished, and without him there was no hope of ever getting home...

"COMIC FOR STARS SAKE GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" Stretch felt his voice crack.

"Stretch..?" Dance pointed. Stretch turned to follow his finger.

There in the water, hidden thanks to the dim light, stuck between a broken cooler and a moldy suitcase, was a little white slipper. A very familiar little white slipper.

Stretch snatched it up, wringing it out. He looked at the water, trying to calculate how the slipper could have gotten there based on the water's flow. He went upstream, rounding the corner, heading towards the waterfall, and came to a defeated halt. Comic was not here. Stretch sank to his knees in the water, the panic finally taking hold of his SOUL. His body shook, his eyelights becoming transient pinpricks.

Dance gripped Stretch's arm. "Calm down. Let's get the materials and head back to the lab. It's late. Maybe he went ahead without us..."

"Without his slipper..." Stretch said monotonously.

"It's Comic. I'm sure he's fine." Dance sounded like he was reasoning with himself. However, Stretch clung to the flimsy reassurance, pulling himself to his feet.

They grabbed the bucket and left.

* * *

Lust was stuck between wakefulness and true sleep, leaning back against the wall, when Dance and Stretch appeared in the room. He shot awake when they unceremoniously dumped their literal bucket of bolts onto the floor.

"Comic?!" Dance called, sounding somewhat desperate.

"I thought he went with you guys..?" Lust yawned, rubbing the rims of his eye sockets.

"He was- But-" Stretch held out the the little white slipper. "He isn't... now..."

Lust stared at him. "What?"

"We were scavenging!" Dance said defensively. "It isn't like much talking is involved! But then it got dark and-"

"You were too engrossed in your fun..?" Lust finished.

"I'm not exactly the most responsible person in the world," Dance grumbled.

"Let's agree we all were a bit slack in our responsibility," Stretch appeased, "and figure out how we're going to find Comic."

"By this point, he could be anywhere this side of the barrier..." Lust bit his knuckle nervously. "I wish he had a cell phone or something..."

"He DOES have a cellphone..." Stretch groaned. "We just never bothered to exchange numbers..!"

"That was pretty dumb on our part..." Dance admitted.

"Lets fix that now." Stretch pulled out his cellphone. The skeletons exchanged numbers quickly. "Now, lets split up. We'll call if we find him."

* * *

Papyrus turned off the TV, letting go of Comic for a brief moment as he stood up, shifting the weight of the other Sans onto his shoulder. Comic tried taking a shortcut, but the process was halted by the heavy tug of BLUE gripping his SOUL again. Comic went rigid, eyes darting up to Papyrus, who looked at him with a knowing smile.

"IT IS NOW BEDTIME, NEW SANS!" Papyrus explained. "COME ALONG!" He headed towards the stairs, dragging Comic along by his SOUL. Comic ground his teeth, partially in pain, partially in irritation. He didn't object, though. If Papyrus went to sleep, that meant he could sneak away. Spells didn't last if the caster was unconscious. 

However, he soon caught sight of the second floor, and his heart sank.

In the place where Comic's warm wooden bedroom door would have been in his world was a cold metal one. There were strange yet familiar symbols stenciled into the doorframe. A warding spell. To contain and suppress magic. Comic's panic heightened. He hadn't seen a door like that since he worked with G*****- Comic clutched at his head, groaning softly as a static-y headache bowled him over.

Papyrus put his free hand on the panel next to the door, making it open with a soft rush of air. Inside, the metal coated walls were covered in those symbols. The only window had bars on it that were too narrow to slip through. It was the most sophisticated prison cell Comic had ever seen. Papyrus took a firm grip on Comic's unbroken arm, and pulled him inside manually, the BLUE around his SOUL being wiped away as he entered. Comic dug his heels in, trying to pull free from the larger monster. Papyrus didn't even slow down.

The bed was large and surprisingly plush, with a good number of big fluffy pillows on it. It would have been inviting in another setting, were there were not chains affixed to it. Papyrus set down the other Sans carefully on the bed and snapped a shackle shut around one of his wrists. he then picked up another one and, pulling Comic into the air, snapped it shut around his bare ankle. He then put Comic down on the bed next to other Sans.

"THERE!" Papyrus said with a smile. "ALL SAFE! NOBODY CAN TAKE YOU AWAY!"

Other Sans looked up at him indulgently. "You're the best, bro..." His voice was soft, tired, and cracked a little. The dissonant mix of sincerity and lies made Comic shudder.

Papyrus smiled. "OF COURSE! ONLY THE BEST FOR MY BROTHER!" He leaned down, engulfing the other Sans in a fierce, warm hug. Other Sans returned it lazily, rubbing his back. "GOOD NIGHT SANS!"

"Good night, bro."

Papyrus turned, pulling Comic against his chest and nuzzling the top of his head. "GOOD NIGHT NEW SANS!" Comic sat there stoic. Papyrus sighed, pulling away. "HAVE SWEET DREAMS! NO NIGHTMARES PLEASE!" With that, and a 'NYEH HEH HEH', he left, the metal doors shutting behind him with a whine.

Other Sans let out a breath he had been holding. Kicking off his slippers, he rolled so he was closer to the wall, pulling a large pillow to his chest. He closed his eyes, sinking into the fluffy with a sigh of relief.

Comic clutched at his jacket, feeling cold for more reason than one. He got off the bed, testing the chain. It let him move in a promisingly wide arch around the room comfortably, even far enough to reach the closer part of the window. Comic slid the glass up and gripped one of the bars with his good hand, jimmying. The metal, although it had been exposed to the frigid elements, was strong and did not give. Comic bit back a curse.

"Can you close that? You're lettin' the cold in..." Other Sans sounded muffled, his face in the pillow.

"Deal with it," Comic said harshly, more so than he had intended. He was thinking so hard he almost didn't hear the noise from outside. It was the crunch of someone walking through the snow. Comic stood on his tip toes, peaking through the bars at the ground so far below.

Next to the Lab door was Lust, pacing in his borrowed orange sweater.

Comic felt a rush of elation. He stuck his good arm out as far as it would go, waving frantically.

"What are you doing now..?" The other Sans muttered, rolling over to watch.

Comic ignored him. He pulled his arm back and peaked through the bars again. Lust had not looked up. He had gone unnoticed. Comic frowned. He needed to get the other skeleton's attention somehow, and fast, before he left. Comic thought quickly. He reached down to pull off one of his slippers. It was at this moment he realized that he had lost one at some point. He tensed. That means he had one shot. Carefully easing the footwear out through the bars, Comic tried to aim.

* * *

The three awake skeletons had decided that they could cover more ground if they split up. Dance went back to Waterfall, Stretch had taken Hotlands, and Lust had volunteered to cover ground in the Snowden region. Now, by this point, Lust had poked his nose into every building but the home that now loomed over him. He had found that this place was peaceful and friendly, which gave him hope for Comic's well being, but there was something amiss.

Grillby was missing.

Lust had pulled the orange sweater on, inching the turtle neck up over his teeth and nasal cavity to make him look less like a Sans and more like a generic skeleton monster in an oversize sweater. He made his way into the bar, half to look for Comic, half in hope of something to eat. The room had gone quiet at his entrance, the Canine guards looking up from their card game. Lust noticed that Doggo had a massive scar across his throat where the fur didn't grow right anymore. The pattern was strangely familiar, but Lust couldn't quite put his finger on why.

When he got to the bar, Lust opened his mouth to order, like usual, when he saw the flicker of green. Instead of Grillby, it was his daughter, the young fire elemental named Fuku, who was tending to the bar. Lust paused. He was about to open his mouth when Fuku turned and saw him. The light of her fire made a blueshift, and she took an involuntary steep back.

The look in her eyes, brimming with sorrow and anger and pity and _fear_ , made Lust turn right around and leave.

Lust paced outside the door of the lab, watching his breath form and fade in the cold air. This place might look nice and cheery on the surface, but there was something going on. Something that he couldn't quite wrap his head around.

And then something hit him in the head.

Lust blinked, stunned. The projectile bounced off the back of his skull and landed in the snow behind him. Lust turned around, reached down, and took hold of the foreign object that had struck him. Pulling it up to eye level, he saw what it was: a little white slipper. Lust looked up. There, in the window, something was moving. A hand? Lust swallowed. He fumbled for his cellphone and quickly texted Stretch and Dance:

[outside lab door. come asap.]

Moments later Dance and Stretch appeared. Lust pointed up at the window. Stretch's eyes lit up. He took hold of Lust gently with BLUE magic, floating him up toward the window. As Lust came closer, he found the window was barred. And behind those bars was Comic.

Comic sighed with relief. "Thank the stars! You gotta get me outa here!"

"What is-?" Lust asked, gripping the bars with both hands. He peered into the room behind Comic, and his eye lights went dark. "Oh my stars... Comic- your arm-!"

Comic smiled weakly. "Nothing you can't fix once you get me out of here, right? This room is one big magic jammer, so I think I'm stuck here for the night, but..."

"We can't leave you here overnight!" Lust exclaimed.

"Don't panic. If you panic, I'm gonna panic and- heh- just, don't panic..." Comic looked even more strained than before. His eye lights were stuttering in and out. "He can't keep me in here forever. We just gotta wait for an opening..." He sounded more like he was trying to calm himself down.

"'He'?" Lust asked. Comic looked at him, trying in vain to say the word he still couldn't really believe he had to say. Lust didn't need him to say anything; the look of betrayal on his face was more damning than any words could have been. "Hold on..." Lust whispered. "We'll figure this out..."

Comic nodded, not trusting his voice. He had never been so afraid in his life. Lust reached in, patting his shoulder gently. Comic put his trembling hand over Lust's, moisture pricking at his eyes. "Thanks..."

* * *

Comic was jerked out of his light sleep by the sound of the door opening. He went still, pretending to still be asleep.

"SANS...?" Papyrus's voice was soft, pleading.

The other Sans rolled over, looking up. "Hmm..?"

"I HAD A BAD DREAM."

"Heh, I thought you said no Nightmare's, bro..."

Comic felt himself be picked up and moved over as Papyrus snuggled in between them.

The other Sans shifted, wrapping his arms around Papyrus. "Do ya wanna talk about it?"

Papyrus sniffed. He pulled the other Sans tight into his lap, shaking hard enough that Comic could hear his bones clack against each other. "I-IT WAS- I MEAN- HE CAME BACK. HE CAME BACK TO TRY AND TAKE YOU AWAY. TO TAKE NEW SANS AWAY. TO DO THOSE THINGS. TO-"

"Shh... Calm down... It was just a dream. _He_ is _never_ coming back. You saw to that..." There was a tinge of pain in the other Sans's voice (Papyrus was clutching at him a little too hard) as well as ironic bitterness.

"I WON'T LET HIM HAVE YOU! I WON'T, I WON'T, I WON'T!"

"He's not going to get either of us. You know that. Wings is g-" The other Sans's words were cut off, his voice reduced to a muffle. Comic heard the clack of bone against bone again, but it wasn't from Papyrus's shaking. Curious, he opened one eye and looked up.

Papyrus and Sans were kissing. Papyrus had gripped Sans's head in both hands and shoved his glowing orange tongue over his teeth and down his throat. Sans had gone rigid, clutching at Papyrus's wrists, eyes wide and eye lights jittering. Comic could make out the beads of sweat on his skull. His face was tinged a dark blue-green that indicated anything but pleasure.

Papyrus finally broke the kiss. "TELL ME THERE IS NO ONE ELSE."

"There is no one else," Sans said. The words were hollow, falling like rocks off his tongue.

Papyrus pulled Sans close, biting at his clavicle. Sans bit back an embarrassing noise. Papyrus's hands slid up his shirt and began to stroke at his spine. Sans's rib cage began to heave, his expression a mixture of arousal and disgust. Papyrus must have done something, because Sans let out a soft noise, falling forward into Papyrus's chest, clutching at the fabric of his teddy bear pajamas.

Papyrus nuzzled into the top of Sans's skull. "THATS RIGHT. NO WINGS. NO GRILLBY. NOBODY ELSE. I WOULD NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE YOU, SANS. ONLY I GET TO HAVE YOU." His hands continued moving underneath Sans's cloths. Tears began to gather on the rims of Sans's eye sockets, his breathing coming faster despite himself.

Comic squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to listen to this. He didn't want to believe this was even a possibility. Comic heard Sans's voice get louder, higher. He heard the soft sobbing. He heard Papyrus's almost sweet murmurs. He heard the scrape of bone against bone. He heard Sans choke back a moan and a scream. He heard the wet noise. He heard the panting.

Comic heard everything.

Damn, did he wish he hadn't.

* * *

Red pulled up his hood, blocking the winter wind as it whipped by. He was sitting in a tree, on one of the higher branches, watching for any sign of movement at the skeleton brother's house. He still had the echoes of a hangover, his magic surging in his bones, sounding like rushing water. That, of course, made him irritable, though admittedly he was already irritable by nature. Red ran a his hand over his eyes, giving them a brief reprieve from the harsh light of midday reflected off the snow below. He was never going to drink again.

Probably.

Okay, yes he was, but not anytime soon.

...Maybe one drink after this was over.

Or two.

Red vaguely felt the tickle of an idea that he might have a problem.

Then his thoughts were drawn back to the present. His sensitive hearing caught the rusty creak as the front door was opened from inside. Red looked back at the house, watching as a tall figure came out into the snow.

Papyrus came out, holding a smaller monster to his chest with one arm, and dragging another behind him with tendrils of BLUE magic. Comic hung in the air, his jacket tied around his waist, shivering in the cold as he held his broken arm against him. The other Sans just leaned into Papyrus's chest, past the point of caring.

Red grinned nervously. He knew from past experience that BLUE magic (hell, any SOUL direct-effect magic - BLUE, GREEN, whatever) fucked with shortcuts. It looked like this Papyrus had figured that out too, and was using it to his advantage. No wonder Comic hadn't already escaped. Red rubbed his sternum over where is SOUL sat sympathetically, getting nervous just watching. He grit his teeth, pulling out his cellphone, entering the group text.

[hes out im goin in]

Red stuffed his phone back in his pocket and took a shortcut to the open space behind Papyrus. With a swift motion, he threw three jagged bones at the Papyrus.

Papyrus heard the sound of magic and swiftly jumped to the left. He spun around on his heals, turning to face his then-unknown assailant. Red was greeted with a look that he had seen all too often on his own brother, a look of indignant rage and sadistic delight. A bone was already in Papyrus's hand, ready to throw, but Papyrus stopped. He blinked. "SANS???"

Red leered. "Ya got somthin' that I want. Give it here an' I won't waste my time Dustin' ya."

Papyrus grinned. "ANOTHER SANS! WONDERFUL!" Red didn't like that all too familiar look in his eyes. He shifted his stance to a more relaxed one, his feet itching to move. He felt the weak hum of Papyrus's magic, and pulled to the right just in time to dodge the imperceivable wave of BLUE slice through where he had been a moment before. Sweat began to bead on his face. That wasn't possible. Unless...

Red focused his eye on the Papyrus in front of him, making a CHECK.

> "Papyrus"  
> ---  
> LV 4  
> HP 820 / 820  
> AT 16 | EXP: 100  
> DF 12 (2) | NEXT: 20  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: Battle Body  
> GOLD: 300 | KILLED: 3  
  
Red pushed down his alarm. He remembered when his own Papyrus was at this stage. Every time his brother's LV had gone up, he had become able to cast another blue spell. By the time he was level 5, Boss could hold the entire Canine Unit on a leash for hours at a time. At this point, this Papyrus should be at a 4-spell limit. That wasn't good for them, but it wasn't impossible to work with either.

Red dodged another spell as Papyrus put the Sans that was not Comic down. The other Sans put his hands in his jacket sleeves, averting his eyes, ignoring the whole situation. Comic thrashed against the magic grasping him, trying to rip free.

Dance jumped down from the roof of the house, slamming into the ground to start off a sick bass beat. He broke into a simple but stylish routine based mostly on hiphop, his attack darting around Comic and flying toward Papyrus. Papyrus was distracted by the sight of another new Sans and the sound of the music, and was hit squarely in the chest, sending him flying.

The other Sans watched, his eye lights dark, as his brother was slammed into one of the trees across from the house. He ran over, screaming "PAPYRUS!" and began to hover.

Papyrus pushed himself upright, his HP sinking down to 796 / 820 thanks to Dance's KR effect. He grinned. He still had not let go of Comic. With a wave of his hand, Papyrus snatched up Dance's SOUL. Dance, not practiced at dodging BLUE attacks, didn't know what hit him until it was too late, and he was lifted into the air next to Comic. Red snarled, sidestepping Papyrus's attempt to capture him.

Lust took his chance. He jumped out of the underbrush and threw a dozen tiny purple bones at Papyrus, aiming for his SOUL, hoping to cut off his magic. Papyrus knocked the much smaller bone attacks aside with his larger one. This time Red anticipated Papyrus's attack, and before Papyrus could get the chance, gripped Lust in BLUE and yanked him to safety.

Lust landed on his feet behind Red, breathing hard. The whole situation had him shaking. Red clicked his teeth in irritation as he gripped Lust by the arm, skipping back and out of the way of another spell.

"How hard do we have to hit him until he lets go?" Lust asked.

"No clue. Assume harder." Red felt the hum and pushed Lust out of the way as another BLUE attack zoomed passed them.

"SANS! SANS! SANS! SO MANY SANS! I'M SO HAPPY!!!" Papyrus flicked his large bone in his hands, marching closer like a predator to his prey. Red recognized the ease with which he navigated the snow, the grace with which he pressed onward single-mindedly toward his goal. It was just like Boss all over again. Papyrus raised his arm and sent another spell at them. In his panic, Red forgot to grab Lust when he dodged. Lust let out a yelp as he was yanked upward and towards Papyrus. "LETS STOP FIGHTING NOW! FIGHTING ISN'T GOING TO GET YOU ANYWHERE! I'LL NEVER LET YOU LEAVE."

"Sorry, buddy, but we got places to be." Stretch aid as he flung a pattern of bones at Papyrus from behind. Papyrus dodged most of it, but a few of the attacks grazed him, sending his HP to 757 / 820.

Papyrus gaped at Stretch. He saw something, and his eyes flickered. "WINGS?!" Papyrus's magic flickered red briefly before returning to a deep burnt orange. "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HIM!!" Hundreds of bones rose and crashed down on Stretch in a roiling surging wave. Stretch snapped his fingers, escaping to the rooftop for safety.

Papyrus was about to launch another assault when he felt the bite of an attack against his spine. Slim swiped down with his bone saw, silent but deadly. Papyrus fell forward, his HP dropping to 665 / 820. Slim pressed, stabbing down into Papyrus repeatedly with a cold viciousness that had the others transfixed. Papyrus's HP was methodically chipped down. 573. 481. 389. 297. 205. Papyrus coughed up blood, his magic flickering out as he lost his hold on the BLUE spells. Stretch teleported down to catch Comic and Dance before they fell badly. Red caught Lust in his own BLUE magic and eased him into the snow more gently.

Slim continued mercilessly. The next strike had Papyrus at 113. Then 21 / 820. Slim was about to deal the finishing blow when he was yanked into the air and thrown into the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He was yanked up and smashed down into the snow again. And again. And again. Then he was flung like a rag doll at Stretch's feet, coughing.

The other Sans, eye glowing a brilliant cyan, rushed over to his brother. "Papyrus! Papyrus! Hold on, stay with me..!"

Papyrus looked up. "SANS..?"

The other Sans cradled Papyrus's head in his lap, taking hold of his hand. "I'm here, bro..."

"WINGS... I SAW-"

"Shh... He's gone. You know that... He's not going to hurt us... You were just seeing things..."

"I WON'T LET- I WON'T-"

"Calm down... I know... I know... I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you..." The other Sans tentatively put his hand on Papyrus's back, pushing magic into him in a crude attempt at healing. Still petting Papyrus's head, he looked back at the group. "Go. Get out of here. And this time, don't come back."

"Come with us!" Comic said, stepping forward.

"No." The other Sans plastered on a smile like a mask. "I can't. I can't leave him. He would break for good. I k-know he's done some t-terrible things... b-but..." The other Sans broke down in to wracking sobs. "He's still my brother..!"

Comic stared at him as the others gathered close. Dance fetched the materials from the lab.

The other Sans wiped his face. "I-its my fault he's like this... I didn't protect him... I let him see what the world is really like... I let him see the USE-OR-BE-USED mentality that had driven Wings mad... Because I was weak..." He laughed, his voice hollow. "But... I have to believe that even the worst person can change... Because if I don't... what hope is there for Papyrus?"

Red grit his teeth, taking hold of Comic's arm. "Let's do what he says. We can't do nothin' for 'm."

"Why are you still here?!" The other Sans said a little harsher, his voice shaking. "GO!"

Comic lead the count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK! So in this Universe, W.D. Gaster (Full name: WingDings Aster Serif) was made the royal scientist. But this is a USE-OR-BE-USED world, and he broke after being used. So he began using others, including his little brother Sans, for his experiments. Sans caves in because family means everything to him, just asking that Papyrus not be involved. But at some point Papyrus finds out all the sick shit Gaster has been doing to his brother, goes crazy, and kills Gaster to protect Sans. This is why Sans and Papyrus and everyone remember Gaster (or "Wings" as his friends and family called him): he didn't fall into the CORE, he was simply dusted. And Pap earned his first EXP.
> 
> So Pap becomes increasingly more protective of his brother. It starts off innocently enough, calling more, hovering, etc. But an innocent guy like Pap earning EXP, well, that does something to his mind. You can see the long term effects of it in Edge and Razz -- anger issues and increasingly more instinctual knee jerk responses.
> 
> Then Pap catches Sans making out with Grillby. This does not end well for anyone (especially Grillby, who is killed). This happens at the bar, where that drunk bunny guy is staying late. He runs his mouth and Paps lashes out at him too. So those are Papyrus's three kills
> 
> Sans breaks down completely between the lose of his lover/friend/confident, and stops trying to resist papyrus. Despite everything, Sans can't do anything but love his brother (although he doesn't love him the same way Paps does)
> 
> Also, yes, that scar on Doggo is from Papyrus, because Papyrus heard Doggo bitching about Sans "moving without moving" and Papyrus doesn't let anyone mouth off about his brother, even in jest
> 
> So concludes my Yandere!Papyrus AU headcanon. Which will likely never be touched on again in this story.


	19. Avoidance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone has unhealthy coping mechanisms, and Red gets himself into trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah this probably isn't what you were expecting but let's be fair this is very in character (or at least i think so)

Comic stared blankly at the floor as the others moved around him. Dance got right to work on the machine, deciding that he was going to pretend nothing happened and engross himself in something productive. Slim and Red disappeared, wanting to leave their experience at the bottom of a bottle, or barring that, get so high it floated away. Stretch was unsure what to do with himself, eventually just settling on the couch and allowing himself the sweet release of sleep.

Then Comic heard his brother's voice. "SANS?!?! WHAT TOOK SO LONG?!?!?!" Comic looked up, his body suddenly cold. He told himself this was _his_ brother, the sweet, loving, compassionate brother who was definitely not the guy who had-

"YOUR ARM?!?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!" Rus reached to examine it, worry echted in his face.

Comic flinched back, plastering that mask of a smile on his face. "It's nothing. It'll be fine. I just need a little _break_ is all."

"SANS!!"

"I'mma go sleep it off."

"YOU CAN NOT SLEEP OFF A BROKEN ARM, SA-" But Comic snapped his fingers and was gone. Rus stretched out his hand toward the empty space, his arm shaking, feeling like he had missed something important. He had seen that look in Comic's eyes. He had looked at him with _fear_. Rus had seen it before, on nights when his brother woke up screaming from a bad nightmare, but it had never been _directed at him_.

Lust patted Rus's arm. "Let him go, Rus."

"BUT HE'S HURT!! WHAT-! WHAT HAPPENED WHILE YOU WERE GONE? DID SOMETHING BAD HAPPEN???" Rus folded his hands together, one squeezing the other to keep himself calm. "THAT WASN'T BECAUSE HE FELL. THE BRUISE... DID SOMEONE HURT-?"

Lust grit his teeth, forcing his smile to stay in place. "We, uh... We had a bit of a rough trip."

"I-IS HE.... IS HE OKAY?" Rus's voice was quivering.

Lust grinned up at him. "He's got _thick skin_. He'll bounce back in no time. I'll get him patched up for ya no problem, honey."

"THANK YOU, AFFECTIONATE BROTHER."

Lust gave Rus another reassuring pat before heading upstairs, thinking Comic had gone to his room to be alone.

The human knew better.

* * *

Frisk snuck out of the house while everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and made their way to Waterfall. They maneuvered the four waterlily-like Bridge Seeds to cross over the small pond (a task made more difficult by their hands being bound), then made a second bridge on the large pond further in. The flowers bloomed, making a secret path to a distant island area with nothing but a bench and a single echo flower.

On the bench lay Comic, staring at the ceiling stars, listening to the water, sobbing quietly. His broken arm hung limply over the edge of the bench, his phalanges just brushing the ground. Frisk approached slowly, then knelt down and started fumbling underneath the bench for something.

"How'dja know where t' find me?" Comic asked after a moment, his eyes still gazing listlessly upwards. His words melded together more than usual. He wasn't bothering to put in the effort to enunciate.

Frisk went still, then slowly eased their way backwards, pulling out a quiche that had been abandoned there underneath the bench. It took a bit of finagling for Frisk to get a grip on the pan, then stand up slowly. "You made this, right?"

"What makes ya think that?"

"Because it's a _bonemeal_!"

Comic barked a laugh. "Good one, kid." He was quiet for a moment. "Ya didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"How did ya know I was here?"

Frisk was quiet a moment. They shifted their tentative grip on the quiche, wincing when they strained their bindings and cut deeper into their wrists. "It's calm.... and secluded... and I knew you came here before..."

Comic sat up, looking at the human. "You guessed."

Frisk fidgeted a little, their squinted eyes falling on Comic's arm, then looking away before offering Comic the food. "I don't know what happened... but maybe eating will help?"

Comic took the food from them, balancing it on his breastbone. "Heh... geeze..." He casually made a small magic bone, using it to cut a reasonably sized slice. The human watched him. Comic sighed. He knew that look. It was a look that brokered no argument, a look of resolve. Comic found his will caving in at that look. He tossed the bone aside and pulled out the slice, swallowing it. Comic bristled, tasting the too-sweet pseudo-pastry before it dissolved. He felt the pain in his arm dissipate in moments.

Comic picked up the pan from his chest, pushing himself up so he was sitting upright, one leg falling to the ground below while the other balanced him by pushing against the edge of the seat. Setting the pan aside, Comic pulled his arm up, carefully unwrapping the bandages. Underneath was smooth white bone, only the faintest of lines left behind by the injury. He marveled at it. "I didn't know my food was..." He whispered to himself, flexing.

Frisk smiled, sitting down on the opposite end of the bench, now that it was free of Comic's socked feet. "A little too sweet, but it's effective. It saved my life more times than I can count. Just one more thing I owe you for..." They turned away from him, shyly, their cheeks tinged the slightest with a faint blush as they played with their hair. Comic watched, the heat rising in his bones. Their words sank into his SOUL. His pain was gone, his grief was nearly erased, and all from a few words from this tiny human.

Comic gripped the human's arm, making a small bone attack in his hand. The human went rigid, watching the glowing bone with unease. "What? Don't ya trust me?" Comic asked with a wink. He felt the muscles in Frisk's arm relax, their shoulders sinking down. He waited for a breath, then slid the bone attack between their arms and swung up, cutting the leather cords. Frisk blinked. Comic chuckled, grinning. "An arm for an arm, seems fair to me, don'tcha think?"

Frisk felt a shiver go up their spine. They rubbed their wrists to ease the chaffing, looking away. They were silent for a while, which didn't upset Comic; it meant more time to spend watching them in the dim light. Finally, Frisk took a deep breath. "I- I might be overstepping my bounds... but maybe, you might feel better, if you talk about what happened..?"

Comic felt his SOUL twitch. "Nah, thats too much work, and I'm _bone_ tired."

Frisk's mouth curved upward, twitching. "Do you have to joke?"

Comic shrugged. "It's hard _patella_ when to stop." Frisk covered their mouth with one hand, the other wrapping around their midsection. Comic grinned more genuinely. He had them now. " _Tibia_ -nest I can't help myself. _Ulna_ things I try to say come out sounding _marrow_ minded! I don't mean to sound like I'm _skull_ -king, but I'm not _talus_ bit sorry. But if my jokes are too _hip_ for you, I'll try and _hyoid_ them!" With each word, Comic watched Frisk dissolve further and further into uncontrollable laughter. Usually his puns were a defense mechanism, a way to steer the conversation away from dangerous topics, to deflect from anything remotely heavy or real. But whenever he was around Frisk, it became something more innocent; a simple desire to make someone laugh. It made his SOUL flutter when he heard that laugh.

Frisk calmed down, breathing hard. They leaned back into the bench, their honest, open smile curving their fleshy lips in a shape that had Comic thinking of something less than chaste.

In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to slide closer, pull the human against his body, bury himself in their softness, and forget in the headiness of the sweet sensation all the reasons the world (all the worlds) were unfair; forget the horrible truth that he was standing on the edge of a knife, one mistake away from losing what little of everything he still had the strength to cared about; forget that he had been shown irrefutable proof that, yes, his life could get worse; forget that he was holding together by a spider's thread that had almost snapped; forget that he was the reason everything had gone to hell.

In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw himself into the human, clutch at their sweater with all the desperation he could muster, and cry his sockets out like a babybones, letting out hundreds of RESETS worth of grief; letting out all the guilt he felt towards the other Sans's for causing them so much more trouble; letting out the pain of seeing a version of his precious, wonderful, amazingly cool little brother twisted and warped and bastardized beyond recognition; letting out the fear that he might let that happen to his own brother, his singular reason for continuing to exist, if he made even one miscalculation; letting out all the hopelessness of being unable make a single lick of difference, because he was weak and broken and a useless fuck-up.

In that moment, he wanted nothing more than for the human to look him square in the face, and say with all the DETERMINATION their SOUL could muster than everything would be alright.

In that moment, Comic did not move. He simply sat there in the purple twilight, watching the human he had become so attached to gaze longingly at the false stars overhead, wearing that irresistible smile that never failed to make him feel like it was worth it to believe again.

* * *

Red and Slim took their positions in the shed without a word. Red pulled out the bag of weed, only to be reminded that they had used it up during their last session. He snarled at the empty bag, ripping it up with needless violence. He had had a shit day and needed an outlet somehow.

Slim sighed, reaching into his jacket for his pack of cigarettes. He felt his hand brush against something he couldn't identify. He had felt the same thing before, when he was on stakeout in that other universe, but had decided it was not worth investigating at the time. Now, though, he pulled out the foreign object. It was a plastic bag. Looking at it, he saw flickers of a fire elemental, and blurred conversations echoed in his mind.

Something about 'feeling better'?

"Hey. I think I got drugs from Lust's bartender..."

"Fuck yes!" Red scrambled from his spot, flopping down next to Slim. He looked at the bag. "Uh, what is it?"

"No idea. I hardly remember getting the stuff." Slim opened the bag to get a better look. Inside was finely ground white powder, glittering like sugar.

"COKE! HALLE-FUCKIN-LUYA! Let's get shit faced!" Red fumbled in his pockets, looking for a straw or some roll paper. 

"Ya sure..?" Slim fingered the bag, shifting the contents as he watched them sparkle with hints of purple and blue and green. "Looks too sparkly fer that..."

"Everythin' in Lust's universe is either sparkly or straight up gay," Red reasoned, chuckling as he retrieved the paper. He rolled it carefully into a tube and stuck one end in the bad. "'Sides, does it really matter? A fix is a fix."

Slim couldn't come up with an argument that wouldn't make him a hypocrite. He watched in silence as Red snorted some of the granules through his nasal passage.

Red's glowing red eye flickered a deep indigo before returning to normal. He threw his head back, clutching at his face. "Woah.... heheheh... Okay, not coke..." As he blinked and breathed and just soaked in the novelty of this new indulgence, Red offered Slim the makeshift straw.

Slim took the proffered paper, eyeing the drug warily. Normally he would be diving in, grateful for anything that would dull the monotonous disappointment that his life was, but something about Red's reaction to it had set off alarms. He pulled out his phone, snapping a photo of the stuff and sending it to Lust.

[wut dis?]

after a moment, Lust responded. [where did u get that?!]

Red collapsed against the wall, sweat beginning to form in little red beads on his skull. The lids of his sockets drooped as he sank down to the floor.

Slim replied. [idk. bar i think. wut dis?]

Lust responded faster than Slim expected. [get rid of it]

Slim: [wut dis?]

Lust: [drugs]

Slim: [&?]

Lust: [bad drugs]

Slim: [do u snort?]

Lust: [DO NOT DO THAT]

Slim: [y]

Lust: [its 2 strong 4 u!!!]

Slim: [u sure? i do all da drugz]

Lust: [not THIS 1!]

Slim: [red did a hit]

Lust: [WHERE R U?!?!?!?]

Slim: [shed]

Lust appeared in the middle of the room, panic on his face. He threw himself down next to Red, cupping his face. "Red? Red?? C'mon, talk to me!" Red only continued to breath, slow and heavy, his body limp. He hadn't even flinched when Lust touched him. Lust could feel the unusual warmth of Red's bones through his phalanges. "Shit..." He started pulling off Red's thick leather jacket.

Slim shifted to watch. His SOUL twitched in alarm. "Is it bad?"

Lust ground his teeth. "What kinda idiot snorts something he can't even identify??"

Slim grimaced that the vehemence in the other skeleton's voice. "In my defense, I didn't do any such thing."

"How much did he take?"

"Not much, I don't think."

Lust got Red's jacket off and set it aside. He ran his hands along Red's mandible, keeping his head up. "He's not seizing... Pulse is fast, a little erratic, but not dangerous..." He muttered to himself. "How long ago was it?"

It took Slim a moment to realize the question had been directed at him. "Uh, about the time I texted ya, so..."

Lust went back to checking Red over. "25 grams tops, then. Good, that's not enough to be permanent..."

"Fer what ta be permanent? Fill me in here." Slim was torn between his worry, agitation, and curiosity. It was making it hard to maintain his composure.

Lust pulled Red away from the wall, laying him flat on his back. "That is probably crystalized magic." he said simply.

"Magic? How is that even a drug? That's monster food."

"You got it from my world, right?"

"Yeah." Slim knew he was being guided by the metaphorical hand, but he couldn't quite catch the implication.

"What do monsters in my world have in their SOULs?"

Lust watched Slim's face change. There it was. He got it now. He saw Slim snatch the discarded bag up and close it with a strange mixture of care and irritation.

"What happens now?" Slim asked quietly.

Lust stroked Red's skull, wiping the moister away. "Right now he's probably too far gone to even know whats happening. The sedentary effects are in full force. In a few minutes though, his SOUL will completely metabolize the LUST and he'll likely be shocked back to his senses by the discomfort of it all." Lust's voice was soft and clear, his eye lights hazy. He was speaking from experience. "At that point, we do whatever he feels comfortable with: either let him ride it out, for however long the effect lasts, or..." Lust didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. The thought hung in the air.

Slim grit his teeth. "Why do ya even make this stuff??"

"It's a great way to get rid of a hangover. Completely overrides everything else. When your magic is being used for _that_ , it can't grate against your skull like nails on a chalkboard. Seeing how blackout drunk you were the other night, they probably gave it to you for that reason."

"So why did ya say it was dangerous?"

Lust chuckled. "I already got it, honey. You don't. You don't wanna end up like me, do ya?"

Slim clicked his teeth at that. No, he didn't. He already had a perfectly healthy amount of sexual desire, and he didn't need any more.

Lust continued petting Red's head, monitoring his progress. The magic that coursed just below the surface of the bone was growing stronger, warmer, more irritated. Lust pushed back his own magic that swelled in response. Now was NOT the time.

* * *

Red felt his head swim. He tried to lean against the wall to steady himself, not trusting his legs to hold underneath him, but his strength gave out and he practically fell into the wood. This was NOT coke. Coke made him feel like a thousand electrical charges had vamped up in his marrow. This, this made his heart race, sure, but his body was heavy. A pleasant hum, singing to him like a lullaby, rose and fell in waves throughout his SOUL. His vision darkened as he distantly felt his tailbone hit the floor.

His body was hot. He felt like he was baking from the inside out. He tried to lift his arms, to tug at the turtleneck sweater that felt tight against his ribs, but his arms hung limp at his sides. Sweat slicked down the back of his skull and down his cervical vertebrae. He began to pant. It was so hot. How can it be so hot?

On the bright side, the drugs had done their job: Red no longer remembered what had made him so upset before. He grinned a little at that. No more stupid feelings. Perfect.

Red was drawn from his thoughts by a soft noise. Clicking. Slim was using his phone. The rhythmic sound of bone and metal and glass lulled Red deeper into his haze. His body was on fire, but all he could do was try and breath. He was so heavy. So tired. His magic stagnated just under the surface of his bones, waiting for something, although Red didn't know what.

Then he heard voices. They sounded muted, like he was underwater. Then there was the sensation of cold against his face. He would have leaned into it had he the power. That touch felt so good. He hardly registered the sound of his ridiculous nickname. He was too focused on the cool thing on the side of his face.

Then his damned jacket was off. Perfect. Except he was still burning up. Why was it so hot? The voices continued to echo distantly. There, the cool touch was back. It felt so good. Red began to realize that everything felt good: the heat; the cold; the familiar texture of his sweater as it slid against his ribs with each breath; just fucking breathing. Feeling good was great. It was so much better than pain. Pain could suck a dick.

And then, as if summon, the pain was there. It shot up his spine, converging on his SOUL with such speed Red didn't have time to scream. He felt his body arch, his breath knocked from him. Then the pain was gone, and his body again was weighed down by his own magic.

Red blinked his eyes, gasping for air. That wasn't normal. His thoughts began to clear. None of this was normal. He shouldn't be paralyzed. He wiggled his fingers, testing what range of motion he still had. They still felt heavy, but they moved. He raised his hand to his face, digging his claws into the flat surface near his eye sockets, focusing on the true pain. He grounded himself. Yes. Red was very much awake now. And he wasn't alone. There was someone touching him.

A sensation, unfamiliar, yet so intense it was painful, carved its way through Red's SOUL, making him gasp again. His vision blurred, the overstimulation of everything threatening to drag him back into that place between wakefulness and oblivion. He blinked away the spots, forcing himself to pull out of his stupor, looking up to see Lust and Slim hovering over him.

Red laughed weakly. "That... was not... coke..." He tried to sit up, but another jolt of that unfamiliar feeling sent him crashing back onto the floor, eyes wide.

Lust put his hands on either side of Red's face, the cool of his bones a stark contrast to the heat in Red's. "Breath. In and out. It's alright. Just stay calm." He sounded worried.

Red snickered. "Yer th' one who needs a chill pill. I'm fine... Just a lil dizzy..." Red tensed as another wave of that unfamiliar sensation crashed over him, squeezing his eyes shut. "What was in that stuff..?"

"LUST." Slim said.

"What about 'm?" Red asked, fighting down another shudder.

"Not me, the drug," Lust corrected.

"Yeah, what was in it?" Red asked again.

"LUST." Slim said again.

"What about 'm??"

"No, the DRUG!"

"That's what I'm askin'!"

"It's LUST!"

"What about 'm????"

"No! The Drug!"

"THATS WHAT I'M FUCKIN' ASKIN'!!"

"It's LUST!!! LUST IS IN THE DRUG!!"

'HOW CAN LUST BE IN A DRUG WHEN HE'S-" Red cut off as he was swept up in another spasm.

This was a particularly strong wave, draining most of Red's strength, making his crimson eye light flicker erratically. His gruff voice caught and rumbled in his ribcage, his claws dug into the floor, leaving long gashes in the wood. When it finally, finally passed, the heat in Red's bones had grown to unbearable levels. His clothes were drenched in sweat, his breath was clearly visible as he panted and gasped in a futile attempt to cool off and calm his SOUL. Red violently pushed himself up, shaking so hard his bones clacked together. With little more than a blind desire to ease his suffering, he stumbled out into the snow and sank into the nearest snow poff.

Red nuzzled into the icy embrace of the snow, purring with just how goddamn good if felt. In the back of his mind he knew that snow should not feel this good, that his teeth should be chattering like those stupid windup toys that occasionally popped up in the dump. Instead Red found himself pulling his sticky red sweater off and nuzzling deeper into the snow with his bare bones.

Lust watched from the shed door, shifting his jaw from side to side as he thought about how to handle this. On the bright side, Red hadn't gone insane. He had been a bit worried that, with Red's already violent and volatile disposition, the effects of amplifying ones baser needs would send him into a state of complete animal desire, either killing or fucking (or some unpleasant combination of the two) everything in sight. Seeing Red happily snuggle into the snow was a great relief. However, it did not solve the problem. He knew from experience that the snow would only do so much.

Slim hesitantly poked his head over Lust's shoulder, watching Red. "Is this normal?"

"For lack of a better word," Lust replied, approaching Red's discarded sweater. It looked like a bloodstain on the white expanse. He snatched it up, shaking it out so snow and excess liquid (melted snow and sweat alike). "Hey, Red? How ya feeling..?"

Red went still. He had practically forgotten there were other creatures in the world besides him. Color flooded his cheeks as he realized how he must look, pathetically rolling about half naked in the snow. "FUCK OFF!" He snarled, snatching snow up with one hand and throwing it over his shoulder towards Lust's voice, too embarrassed to look.

Slim sighed in relief. Red was at least cognizant of his condition. That was promising. Lust sidestepped the attack, coming closer. "It's alright. Relax. We just wanna help."

"I DON'T NEED YER FUCKIN' HELP! FUCK OFF!" Red clawed at the ground under him, knowing his body was shaking from something other than the cold. Hell, he hardly felt the cold. He was still panting, gasping for air he didn't actually need, his head swimming as his magic lurched and coiled and twisted inside him looking for some release he didn't know how to give it. The snow was melting under him. He felt more wet and sticky than before.

In frustration, Red summoned a dozen Gaster Blasters, aiming into the sky and firing with all his might. During that brief moment when his magic drained out of him and was sent flying from the Blasters, Red felt relief from that coiling, burning feeling he still couldn't name. But as quickly as relief came, it was gone. And now he was spent, unable to fire another shot after putting so much into the first. That was unusual. Red had an ungodly amount of magical potential. He was able to fire as many as 50 times without a break. Why was he so expended, after just 12 shots?

Lust had flinched when he saw the blasters form above Red, thinking maybe he had finally snapped. But they fired harmlessly upward. That was fine. He was just trying to get release, albeit in a futile way.

Slim came closer. "What do we do?"

Lust sighed. "He can't just stay out here. He might not feel it, but it's too cold. He'll get sick. I'd rather not have to deal with that headache."

"Agreed." Slim knelt down and scooped up the skeleton from the snow.

Red bristled, thrashing. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Slim was alarmed by how hot he was to the touch, and by how weak his fighting was. Red was seriously compromised. Slim gripped him under his knees and over his shoulders, holding Red like a doll as Red punched at his chest. It didn't even hurt. Lust led the way back inside the shed.

Red tired himself out even more with his resistance, panting harder. Slim set him next to the dog bed. Red lay back so his head was cushioned on the dog bed, one knee up with his food flat on the ground, the other leg laying sideways, his knee and ankle both touching the floor. He covered his face with the other to try and hide his brightly glowing cheeks, blocking out his view of the others to help calm himself down. He had yet to noticed the shapeless mass of magic swirling in his pelvic inlet, visible thanks to his lack of covering. However, Slim and Lust could see it clearly, the warm glow radiating over Red's iliac crests like a delicate mist, curling and fading and brightening again.

Slim gulped. He forced himself to look away. Lust felt himself warm to the sight, his SOUL pulsing in rhythm with Red's. Lust steeled himself. He couldn't just make that decision on his own, no matter how good a decision it was.

Lust sat indian style a few feet away from Red, keeping his eyes on his face. "I know it's hard to focus right now but you need to pay attention. You've unknowingly and unfortunately ingested a sizable amount of human LUST. Are you following me?"

Red groaned. "Human LUST? Is that like DETERMINATION? I'm gonna melt, 'n if I'm lucky I'll dust... Fuckin' hell..." Red clawed at his scarred ribs, biting back a low noise as he was washed away by another wave of that feeling he could not name. Lust shivered just watching him. Slim tensed at the noise.

Lust took a deep breath. "I bet it feels like it, but no, you aren't going to Fall. Your Heat will last for a few days, a week tops, and then-"

"A WEEK?!" Red shot up, propped up by his hands where he sat. "I'D RATHER DIE! Fuck, I WILL die if this shit lasts fer a whole damn WEEK!"

Lust waited patiently for Red to stop shouting. "Thats the worst case scenario, but you seem particularly weak to the effects so... Look, you can either ride it out, like you're doing right now, and it will eventually dissipate... or..."

"Or what? WHAT?! How th' fuck do I make this st-" Red fell backward again, his body twisting as he dug his claws so deep into the floor the wood splintered. This time his voice escaped him.

"You said it, not me." Lust said evenly. His own body was starting to feel uncomfortably hot. It was such a turn on to see Red like that, so needy, so defiant, so stubborn. Lust remembered the first time he had been subjected to tests with LUST. He hadn't taken much more than Red had, but he had been reduced to a blubbering mess of pitiful mewling cries and rattling bones. They hadn't allowed him to ease his own suffering -- the tests required knowledge of how long the side effects would last. Lust had been left to suffer for 5 days.

Red forced himself to breath. "Whats that s'posed t' mean?"

"You need to have sex," Lust clarified.

Red turned an even brighter shade of red. "That's a joke right?" His breath caught as he was thrown back by the pulse of his own magic. There was a loud cracking noise. He screamed.

Lust crawled over, alarmed. The crack in Red's skull had begun to widen, descending down so the tip was a few fractions of an inch closer to his eye. A few of the cracks and scars on his ribs had been agitated too, a bit of marrow leaking from one of them. Lust felt his SOUL drop. He hadn't even thought of what the pressure Red's magic was putting him under would do to his body, already so broken.

Slim knelt down behind the dog bed, behind Red. His face was hard and unreadable, but Lust could detect the slightest tremor in his shoulders. "No jokes this time."

"Fuck!" Red growled from clenched teeth. The pain had brought him back further into clarity. Pain was normal. Pain was familiar. Pan he could handle. "This is bullshit!" He hissed as another wave hit. Another one of his ribs cracked a little. The waves were becoming more frequent. Red shuddered, clutching at his face again. Focus on the pain. It hurt everywhere. Focus.

Lust took hold of Red's other hand. "You're coming apart at the seams!"

Red sneered. "What's yer point?"

Slim twitched. "Ya don't even care if ya dust, do ya?"

Red grinned. "Nope. Couldn't give less of a damn. I welcome th' sweat embrace o' death with open ar-" He was cut off as another wave hit. He clenched his teeth shut harder, a guttural moan escaping from between them. The crack in his skull came down a little more. Another rib cracked.

Lust placed his hands over Red's ribs. Red let out a high pitched whine that sounded to Slim like something Lust had made once for him. Lust began healing the breaks. Red snatched at his hands, prying them away.

"Y-ya did that on purpose... Ya pervert..." Red panted.

Lust smile softly. "If you're going to insist on doing it the hard way, I'll respect that. But that means I have to be here to pull you back together."

Slim smirked. He stood up. "I'll leave you two alone, then." He snapped his fingers, going to take a nap in the house. He might not have gotten his smoke, but at least all the drama had taken his mind off other things.

Red twitched. "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HIM, YA PRICK!" He snarled.

Lust put his hands on either side of Red, healing the crack so it returned to it's original size. Red leaned automatically into the touch, cool and soothing. Lust smiled at the response, pulling himself closer. Red leered up at him when he pulled his hands away. 

"Yer enjoyin' this," Red muttered.

"Maybe," Lust admitted. "But it's your own fault. You should know better than to do drugs you know nothing about."

Red clicked his teeth. "Ya know what- fuck it. I've already done LUST once, right?" he grabbed Lust by the scruff of his shirt, and with every ounce of his strength, yanked down, throwing Lust to the floor. Red pinned him there, snarling with renewed energy, his gold tooth glinting in the light of the magic that began to take on a tangible form. "I might as well do it again."

Lust blinked, then grinned.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Rus paced in the kitchen, the water boiling on the stove. First his brother had run off, then the human. It wouldn't be so bad if someone would talk to him, but nobody showed any sign of indulging his questions. Stretch was passed out on the couch, Slim had joined him a few minutes ago, and Dance was still ignoring the world by focusing on the machine. Rus began to think that maybe there was a pattern in everyone's behavior that indicated an unhealthy habit at avoiding facing their problems. He wondered why he never noticed it in his brother before.

The answer clawed out of his mind before he had to call for it: _because Sans never let him see he even had problems._

Rus sighed. He felt terrible. How long had his brother been hiding his hurt? He knew he had nightmares but- wait... the nightmares. Sans had had nightmares for years. Had he been hiding things from him from the very beginning? Why? Did Sans not trust him? Did he think Rus would be ashamed of him, would push him away? Had every smile he had seen on his brother's face been a lie? And if his smiles were lies, what about his words? No, Rus couldn't think like that. His brother would never lie to him, no matter what.

Or maybe Rus was being too naive.

But how was belief in his brother naive?

Rus clutched at his head, feeling like there was a puzzle in front of him that refused to be solved. It was infuriating. If only there were a book of answers, like with those accused Junior Jumbles.

But there were answers. Sans had all the answers. The trouble was getting him to give them up.

He sighed. Papyrus pulled out his phone and texted Undyne.

[OK. WE'LL DO IT YOUR WAY. ALSO THEY ARE HOME. OR THEY WERE. SOME OF THEM WENT FOR A WALK OR SOMETHING.]

After a moment, Undyne responded.

[YES! THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Red doesn't learn his lesson
> 
> ~ FYI Yes Lust!Grillby gave Slim the stuff. He meant well. He didn't know any better. It happened during the card game, after Slim stopped being able to read the numbers but before comic came in. Slim went up to the bar to get another drink and Grillbz was trying to be nice to his Sans's new friends.
> 
> ~ YES I DID A "Who's on First?" RIPOFF WOOOOOOH *throws confetti*
> 
> ~ ALL THE SEXUAL TENSION
> 
> ~ What is being plotted?
> 
> ~ Everyone who wants a play-by-play of what happened in the shed say "Aye!"
> 
> ~ rereading this, its kind of alarming that lust's body, which is overheated compared to everyone else, would feel cool to red.


	20. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Frisk is caught doing something, and Rus is nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'Aye's have it! I needed to fill out the chapter anyway, so enjoy the Red/Lust smutfest.

Lust lay back on the wooden floor, surrounded by scratch marks and splintered wood and magical residue. He was still feeling the aftershocks of the last hour. Rolling his head to one side, he looked over at Red, who was now snoring softly on the dog bed, his leather jacket the only thing covering his war torn bones. Lust let his eyes wander over his face, then down to his claws, then down further. He hummed with the memory of it.

> Red took hold of Lust's wrists, pinning them with one hand over Lust's head. Lust could see Red's eyes drooping to half mast, scanning him up and down as if for the first time. Red's grip on Lust, while firm and decisive, lacked the brute force Lust had expected (whether or not that was because Red was unable or unwilling to be rougher, he could not be sure). Red was still panting heavily, his scarred chest heaving with jagged inhalations.
> 
> "If you're not up to it, I'll take it from-" Lust's words were lost as Red bit at his cervical vertebrae, digging the tips of his sharpened teeth between the joints and sliding them along the inside of the rim. Lust froze, his eye lights flashing bright purple from the shock of the sudden stimulation. He had never been touched there before.
> 
> "Shut up," Red growled near his acoustic meatus. "If I'mma go through with this, it's gonna be on _MY_ terms." His breath was warm, so, so warm. Lust could hear the slight tremble in his granite voice, the strain he was under in his half crazed condition. Lust looked up at him. This must be an incredibly difficult decision for Red. He was about to make himself vulnerable to another person. Although Lust still contended that he had nobody to blame but himself, he couldn't help feeling a tad bit sorry for Red. Lust gazed up into that flickering red eye, nodding in silent acknowledgment and acceptance of the other skeleton's terms. It really didn't matter to Lust either way, anyway.
> 
> Red clicked his teeth thoughtfully before leaning back down, once more dragging the tips of his teeth along Lust's cervical vertebrae. Lust grit his own teeth shut, suppressing the noise that threatened to come out, wondering what Red was doing. Red wore away at the same spot, slowly, patiently. Occasionally, Lust felt the bite deepen, heard the ripping of wood somewhere near his head, as Red fought down the urges that Lust knew must be washing over him.
> 
> After a few moments, Red pulled his teeth away, leaving Lust to breath a sigh of relief. Then Red stuck out a long, thick red tongue, dripping with the excess magic Red had still built up inside him. He pressed it to the spot he had been working on. Lust's body spasmed -- Red had made shallow cuts along the edge of the lamina, at an angle, so that when he licked at them, his magic spilled down the cuts and into Lust's vertebral foramen, directly depositing his magic into Lust's supply. Lust gasped and shuddered underneath the other skeleton, feeling his SOUL burst inside him in a shameless fashion that had him unable to control his voice. As Lust came down from the high, Red hooked his tongue inside one of Lust's transverse foramen, circling the rim. Lust felt his toes curl, leaning into the attention as his magic swelled and manifested inside his leather pants.
> 
> Lust had never come so fast in his life. And he had never been ready to go again so fast in his life either.
> 
> Red snickered, making his tongue vibrate. Lust shivered and whined. "Not so tough now, are ya, pixie stick?" His gravely voice almost sounded smooth when it was that low and soft. Lust shivered again, his breathing coming in faster as Red's feverishly warm breath cascaded over his neck.
> 
> Red licked at the vertebrae just below the one from before, enough to tease but nowhere near enough to recreate the previous event. Lust let out a soft gasping noise.
> 
> Suddenly, Red reeled back, digging his claws into the floor, fighting down another surge of his own. Lust heard the wood splinter and fray. He would have looked down if he could remember how to move.
> 
> Red pulled himself back up, straddling Lust, yanking his pants down and out of the way. Lust sat up a bit to help him, but found Red had already positioned himself to thrust inside. Lust wrapped his arms around Red's neck, pulling him closer. Red slid inside, sighing with such genuine relief it made Lust clench. Red began thrusting, spearing into Lust with such force it made him topple back to the floor. Red kept jabbing at the condensed magic near Lust's coccyx, making Lust's eye lights roll back and jaw fall open.
> 
> Lust felt Red release inside him, gasping as the heat brought him over the edge again. Laying back, panting, Lust looked up at Red. His eyes were closed, his teeth slightly parted, his maxilla tinged with brilliant crimson light. Lust felt his hips move back and forth more, riding out his release, before he leaned down and rested his skull against the floor to one side of Lust.
> 
> However, Red's magic did not dissipate. Lust was about to ask if he was alright when he felt Red sliding his claws underneath Lust's shirt. The sharp appendages poked and teased and prodded across Lust's rib cage, finding places Lust had forgotten existed, tiny surfaces wedged between larger structures that had gone undisturbed since before Lust could remember. Lust squirmed and shivered and whimpered, mewling pathetically under Red's attention. Red expertly alternated between the 'flat' and the 'blade' of his claws, drawing out every possible response from Lust's body in quick succession.
> 
> After a while, Lust couldn't stand it anymore. He took hold of Red's scapula and pulled, rolling them over so Lust was now sitting on top. Red opened his mouth to express his indignation, but before he could utter a word, Lust gripped Red's face firmly and shoved his tongue between those razor sharp teeth in a passionate kiss. Red bristled at first, but relaxed into the advance, closing his eyes as his own clawed hands gripped Lust's bare hips, thumbs hooking down to make wide circles over his ilium. Lust began to pump against's Red's member insistently. Red growled, the vibration traveling up his tongue and into Lust's as they curled around each other. Lust whimpered, wrapping his arms around Red's neck and leaning deeper into him.
> 
> Red pulled Lust's hips upward, and with a swiftness that took Lust by surprise, slammed him all the way down onto him. Lust screamed into Red's mouth. Red groaned into Lust as he bucked with renewed energy and ferocity. Lust bounced up and down, clinging to the other skeleton for dear life as he lost all sense of anything but the waves of pleasure.
> 
> Red broke the kiss, wrapping his teeth back around Lust's throat and licking again at the spot he had carved into Lust. Lust came hard, overloaded from both places. Red bit down on his clavicle, his claws entwined in the back of his rib cage, gasping as he came again.
> 
> The two skeletons sank to the floor, catching the breath neither one necessarily required, both of their magics satiated.

Lust clutched at his ribs, tracing over the places that still burned from the other skeleton's touch.

 _That_ had been the best lay of his life. That had been the _best_ lay of his life. That had been the best lay of his _life_. That had been the best lay of _his_ life.

Lust couldn't believe it. Red had been _amazing_. His _technique_ , his _precision_ , his _reach_ , his _patience_ , even his fucking _taste_. Lust felt along his cervical vertebrae until he found the shallow grooves left behind, shivering just from the touch his blunt distal phalanges were able to produce.

How was he ever going to let something, some _one_ , like that go?

* * *

Comic got up to stretch, his spine complaining about the unusual position he had been holding on the hard surface of the bench. Frisk looked up when they heard the sound of the bell around Comic's neck ring. Comic grimaced. He took a firm hold of the bell and yanked on it, wincing as the ribbon dug into the joints of his cervical vertebrae. Frisk jumped up, reaching to try and untie it from the back. Comic waved them off, producing a bone and sawing through the ribbon. He pulled the bell, ribbon and all, carefully away from him, then chucked it as hard as he could into the murky water of the pond. He then remembered the ankle monitor, and used a bone attack to break it off. Picking up the pieces, he considered keeping them to use in the machine, but decided he would rather toss them away too. Frisk watched as the ripples faded.

Frisk smiled softly, then their face seemed to twitch in an expression of surprise, as if they had realized something. "Uh, Sans? I know you want to keep me in Snowden, but... Um... Could we maybe go for a walk? Before we go back, I mean?"

Sans eyed the human. "Uh... Walking isn't really my thing... If there's somewhere you wanna go, so long as it ain't too far..."

"It's not!" Frisk said hastily. I just- well, could we maybe... There is this room with cheese covered in crystal, near where you have a telescope? Can we go there?"

Sans raised an eyebrow. "Ya wanna go look at petrified cheese."

Frisk shook their head. "How about we use your telescope instead?"

Sans eyed them, suspicious. "What's this about?"

Frisk put on their expressionless face. "I just want to. It's been a while..."

Comic sighed, taking Frisks arm. "Sure kid. C'mon, I know a shortcut." Comic snapped his fingers, pulling the human through to stand next to his telescope.

The human hesitated a moment, but then took a hold of the telescope and looked through it. Pulling their head back, they looked over at Comic. "It's all black, I think it's broken..."

"Is it?" Comic came closer, taking a look. He saw the glitter of the crystal stones, twinkling like stars. "Nope, its working just fi-" As Comic looked up, he saw Frisk run down the path towards the area with the piece of cheese. However, as the human approached, space seemed to shift and stretch, making the distance between the two places wider. Then Comic saw there was a door, tall and metal and grey.

Frisk opened the door tentatively, quietly, as if to avoid disturbing something, or someone. Comic watched them disappear inside before quickly taking hold of the knob and slipping in himself.

Beyond the door was a short corridor which opened up into a small bare room made. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, it was all coated (or perhaps made) of a grey substance that sent a chill up Comic's spine.

The human approached the center of the room, walking softly, silently. They made their way to the motionless figure before them. The creature was kneeling, the great black robes draped over their figure fluttering as though in a current of air that was not there. Their face, deathly white and smooth, had two great cracks in them: one running from the bottom of their left eye socket to the top of their mouth, which curved in a false smile; the other arcing from the back of their skull and down into their right eye socket, which was drooping, as though the damage made it too painful (or impossible entirely) to open the lid fully. Their arms were bent in a surreal fashion, so that their elbows were tucked into their chest, and their hands hung down in front of them.

Comic could see there were large holes that penetrated through the palm of each hand.

Memories crashed down on Comic, alarm he couldn't grasp the meaning of making his SOUL skip. The sound of static filled his mind, making the images that flashed and stuttered through him fade and blur and lose focus. He clutched at his head, which was pounding with the sudden rush of unintelligible information. He felt in his SOUL that he had to remember. He had to remember something important.

_Why was this monster so familiar???_

Comic watched as Frisk moved closer, keeping their eyes on the monster as they slowly edged forward. The monster did not move, their eye lights dark and unresponsive.

_How did he know that they had eye lights?_

Frisk was trembling now. They were so close. Close enough that if they just reached out, just a little, they could take hold of those unusual hands. Frisk's arm shook as they extended it, their eyes moist. It had to work this time. It had to. Steeling their resolve, the human shot their hand out and snatched at the gleaming white ones that hung empty before them.

But Frisk's hand just phased through, as though it were nothing but air.

The other monster jerked back, their slumped shoulders straightening ever so slightly. Little white pinpricks of light came into focus in their sockets, looking down at the human with a warm, knowing, lonely smirk. It made Comic's heart skip a beat, a choked noise wrenched from his chest.

**D O N ' T F O R G E T .**

The monster looked up. Suddenly both eyes were wide, the lights inside glittering with recognition and delight. A grin split their face, their mouth opening to speak, although no words came. As the monster's body began to fade from opaque to translucent, Comic saw the slightest movement of their hands, movements that conveyed meaning.

{ _S A N S ?_ }

Then they were gone, as though they had never been.

Comic sank to his knees, shaking, his thoughts finally catching up to him now that it was too late.

"Dad..."

Frisk turned sharply, not having noticed Comic had followed. "S-sans?!" Comic looked up. He must have been showing some of the emotions that were swirling inside him, because Frisk sank to the ground, screaming into their hands. Their voice refused to form words, not that Comic would have heard them anyway. He was still reeling.

His father was alive. _Gaster was alive._

* * *

Dance pulled away from the machine, closing the panel he had been working in. His hands weren't shaking anymore. He sat down, leaning against the cold metal, taking slow deep breaths. It was almost done. Just a few more parts and he could go home.

Getting to his feet, Dance searched around the room, looking for parts he knew they did not have: the last few feet of conductive wire; the circuit board for the final quadrant; the last three spark plugs. Dance just went through the supplies they had, not having anything else to do and not ready to sleep. He would just have a nightmare if he slept now. He knew that from experience.

Slim turned down the volume on the TV now that Dance was no longer making loud clanking noises. Blowing smoke from his nasal passage, the lit cigarette between the second and third middle phalanges of his right hand, he sighed. "You're just makin' lil Rus more nervous."

Dance stopped his anxious fidgeting to look up toward the kitchen, where Rus was still cooking. The smell of burnt tomatoes was prominent now. "He seems fine to me..."

Rus came out, stirring a mess of red in a bowl. "DID YOU CALL??"

Slim waved his hand dismissively. "Just commentin' on how the food smells."

Rus beamed. "IT SHALL BE READY SOON!" With that, he went back into the kitchen.

Slim smirked. Pulling out his phone again, he texted Red.

[rus made grub cum eat n00b]

After a while, Red replied.

[that a challenge]

Slim put his cigarette in his mouth before replying.

[not wid u its not]  
[u not l33t enuf 2b1]

Red responded fast.

[yur gonna choke on them words]

Slim smiled. Sounded like Red was feeling better.

About five minutes later, Red popped into the house, his toothy grin splitting his face. His cloths were rumpled more than they had been, but he looked otherwise none the worse for wear. His glowing eye was vibrant and energetic and threatening, his posture a bit more relaxed than usual, his steps as he crossed the room towards Slim confident and without hesitation.

"Ready?" Red asked, his voice once more even and controlled and a little antagonistic.

Slim felt a knot inside him loosen. Red was back to normal, good as new. He grinned. "If you are."

* * *

Comic took the shortcut to his bedroom, pulling Frisk with him. He pushed the human firmly down onto his bed. "Ok, how about you and I have a little talk?"

Frisk shifted uncomfortably. They wiped their eyes, biting their lip. "About what..?"

Comic sat down next to them. "About that little secret of yours. About d- Gaster."

Frisk looked down at their lap. "I failed again."

"Failed?"

Frisk started shaking. At first Comic thought they were crying, and they were, but the trembling wasn't from sadness. Frisk was angry. "You _saw_. He slipped away. Again. I-" They looked at their hand, the hand that been unable to grasp hold of their desire. "I promised you I would get it right this time... I was so sure... and now I've failed. Again."

Comic ground his teeth so hard they hurt. He remembered Dance's words. "Lets assume this is a game." Frisk opened their mouth to object, but Comic cut them off, taking hold of their chin and turning their face towards him. "Let's say, _hypothetically_ , that it was all a game." He looked the human square in the face. "What would it take to win? What ending would have you 'satisfied'?"

Frisk set their jaw. "Saving everyone. _Everyone_. Its the only way I can make up for- for..." They hid their face in their hands. Liquid seeped between their fingers and fell into their lap. "I'm so sorry... This is all because I'm not good enough..."

"What are you talking about?"

Frisk took a jagged breath. "I can't pull him out anymore... I don't know why... I don't know what I'm doing wrong..."

"Is this why you keep RESETing?" Comic asked softly. "Because you're trying to, uh, save him?"

Frisk looked away. "Yeah..."

"Wait, 'anymore'?" Comic grabbed the human's arm. "You got him out before??"

Frisk nodded. "I reached out to shake his hand. When he felt me, he made a loud noise. I got scared! I let go and- and..." They looked away. "...and I haven't been able to since..."

Comic felt his SOUL swell and pulse. He thought he was going to cry he was so happy. _The kid had a reason. They had a reason._ Comic let go of the human's arm. The relief of knowing, finally knowing, was so much he grabbed the human about the shoulders and pulled them into his chest, holding them as he buried his face in the flesh of their neck, reveling in their softness, their scent, their warmth. Frisk went beat red, shivering from the sensation of cool bone against their skin, not resisting but too nervous to do anything proactive. Comic purred low and deep.

Frisk scooted closer, relaxing into the skeleton's embrace, cushioning their head against his jacket, lulled into a hazy state of half sleep by the smell of ketchup and the low hum of Comic's SOUL that reverberated from his bones. They snuggled closer, shifting so the press of the hard bones through his clothing was spaced out more comfortably. They found the sweet spot, clutching at the blue material, synchronizing their breathing with his.

Comic shifted one hand down, cupping underneath Frisk's bottom and scooping them up briefly to pull them into his lap, hanging their legs over his femur. His hand then slid up to clutch at the small of Frisk's back, the tips of his phalanges putting pressure on their spine through their sweater. Frisk nuzzled closer.

Comic paused for a moment, then hesitantly slid his hand under the sweater, touching the skin with a trembling digit. "Sans-!" Frisk gasped, surprised by the cold of his bones on their bare flesh. Comic flinched, thinking he might have crossed a line, but Frisk didn't move from his lap. Massaging the muscles of their shoulder with his one hand, marveling again at _how fucking soft_ the human was, he again pressed his hand against the small of their back. He felt the human shiver again, their chest heaving against his breastbone. This time Comic didn't stop, feeling along the human's spine, counting the vertebrae he could make out underneath all the cushion that drove him crazy. His hand crept upward, pushing the fabric higher as he reached upward.

Comic felt a pounding against his skull, where it was pressed against the human's neck, beating in time with the one coming in through his chest. _Was that the human's heartbeat?_ His SOUL pounded. It was amazing and beautiful and deep and it was speeding up why was it speeding up? Comic swallowed. What was he doing? He shouldn't be doing this!

Comic started to pull away, but Frisk dug their fingers into his ribcage through his cloths, making him freeze. "Please... just a little longer..." Their voice was soft. Comic felt his magic surge. Was this just the human's usual FLIRTing? Or did they..?

Comic pulled his hand out from under the sweater, gripping the human's hip, making them shiver and squirm, squeezing their legs closer together as they relaxed into Comic's body. Comic thought he smelled something bitter and sweet flit by, but it was gone too quickly to pay much heed. He held the human, not going to argue if that was what they wanted.

* * *

Stretch woke up to the sound of disgusting sloppy eating noises. He blinked, looking to the right to see Slim and Red sitting on the floor, once more facing each other over a pile of spaghetti. Dance sat next to the machine, watching with disgust and interest. Lust was sitting on the arm of the couch, his eyes on Red, enjoying the front row seat. Rus placed two more plates on the floor by the skeletons, who were grinning.

"OK! ON THE COUNT OF THREE!" Rus exclaimed. "ONE! TWO! THREE! GO!"

As one, the two skeletons dug into the offending pasta before them, eating it as fast as they could and tasting as little as possible. Rus watched with a look of joy, so pleased that someone was eating his cooking so enthusiastically. Dance covered his mouth, feeling sick and yet unable to look away.

Stretch grinned. "Same bet as last time?"

Dance looked up at him, noticing he was awake again. "Uh, yeah." He turned his eyes back to the race, swallowing magical residue that had begun to pool in the space behind his teeth.

Red kept up a speedy, steady pace, like last time, picking up one plate and tipping back his head to slide the whole thing into his mouth, his other hand holding another plate, waiting. Slim scarfed one plate, picking up the next as he swallowed, speeding up and then slowing down in cycles. Again, Red started to pull into a lead, red eye glittering smugly. However, this contest had more food, consisting of both the freshly cooked pasta as well as the leftovers in the fridge. A few plates before his victory, Red turned that sickening shade of brownish green, dashing outside to get sick. Slim grinned, lazily climbing back into first place. As Red came back in, he watched Slim finish off the final plate, claiming victory.

Slim slurped up the rubbery noodle grinning smugly at Red, who was bristling. "I say you _ate your words_ , but does it count when you throw 'm back up?"

Red sneered, a sore loser. "Wanna _knuckle sandwich_ t' go with that?"

Slim chuckled. "Careful, ya already put yer _foot in yer mouth_!"

"OH MY GOD!!!" Rus threw his hands in the air. "WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!?"

Stretch chuckled. "Just some _food_ for thought, but maybe you should loosen up."

Dance pulled his hood up, hiding his face, although his shit eating grin was still visible behind his hand. "Yeah, stress'll really spoil your _appetite_!"

"STOP IT!" Rus groaned.

Lust giggled, biting his knuckle. "I'm sorry, Rus! I know our jokes must be pretty hard to _swallow_!"

"NOOOOO!" Rus covered his face, making a dash to his room. "GOOD NIGHT TO YOU, ANNOYING PUN MAKERS!!!" He closed his door firmly behind him.

The guys looked at each other. Then they started snickering, which dissolved into laughter. As they composed themselves, Comic opened his bedroom door, poking his head out with a grin. "Whats so funny?"

"Just teasing your brother," Stretch waved. "He went to bed."

Comic looked towards the door. "Guess I'd better go see to him... Night guys." he slipped quietly into Rus's room.

Frisk creeped out of Comic's room a little later.

* * *

In the morning, the group gathered in the livingroom, taking hold of each other in preparation. Rus paced back and forth by the door, somewhat nervously, which Frisk watched with some apprehension.

Red, grudgingly, started the count. "One... Two... Th-" There was a loud knock, making Red jump and his shoulders tense.

Rus rushed to the door. "I WONDER WHO THAT COULD BE??? AS I HAVE NO IDEA!" He opened the door. "HELLO UNDYNE! I WAS NOT EXPECTING YOU! THIS IS A VERY BIG SURPRISE! TO SEE YOU HERE! AT THIS MOMENT! AT OUR DOOR!"

Undyne rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, let me in already." She pushed passed as Rus closed the door behind her.

Red leered. He forced himself to relax, calm his pounding SOUL. She was not a threat. She was not worth the trouble. He turned back to the group. "One... Two..."

Rus scooted around the group to stand next to Undyne by the couch. He was sweating nervously, occasionally eyeing the back of Comic's head. Undyne put a hand on his shoulder, encouragingly. Rus nodded.

"Three!"

As Red spoke, Rus carefully gripped the very back of Comic's hood, which hung behind him loosely, in such a way that Comic would not feel it.

Frisk watched as everyone disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna see that Rust scene from Red's POV, it is right [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/25260912)
> 
> ~ Lust is now in love
> 
> ~ #SaveGoopDad2017
> 
> ~ Comic is just so fucking happy that there is a good reason for all this bullshit. Also that his long lost dad is alive. Also that there is a chance of saving him. Because DETERMINATION is the "power to change fate" so like it is literally a DEUS EX MACHINA that makes anything possible (if it is strong enough) DUN DUN DUN~~~!
> 
> ~ Yes, Comic has been thinking that Frisk's advances were just routine FLIRTing and not genuine feelings. Also Frisk thinks Comic hates them for being the anomaly. So yeah maybe this is the start of maybe mending the misunderstanding?
> 
> ~ Red is faster, but Slim plays the long game. BACK TO UNDERFELL WE GO
> 
> ~ LIKE IN ANIME! Undyne, Rus, what did you do?????


	21. Where Secrets Get You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Red gets his ass kicked, his brother gets dunked on, and there is a lot of drinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit longer because Underfell was left so undeveloped before. We get to see a little more of Edge (besides when he goes bat shit crazy with his anger)

Rus felt like he was simultaneously standing still and being dragged through the air. The world seemed to fall away, in flashes of dark and light and something fuzzy. He almost thought he saw floating symbols, like numbers, float by, but he couldn't be sure, because as soon as the feeling had taken him, it ended. And he was standing in the livingroom again. Only it wasn't his livingroom. The color scheme was all wrong. It was red and black, and the air was thick with something like smoke, and it smelled heavily of beer (and faintly of italian spices).

"This is AWESOME!" Undyne exclaimed from behind him, making Rus (and everyone else) jump in surprise.

Comic turned sharply, staring at Rus with wide eyed panic, his eye lights dark (something Rus was not used to). Red turned his head so sharply it made a cracking noise.

There was the sound of metal clanking on metal sharply in the kitchen. "YOU BITCH!" Came a grating voice. Undyne set her shoulders, not liking the tone of that voice.

"Shit..." Red gasped, tense, a panicked look on his face Rus had never seen before. "He shouldn't be home now... Quick, grab 'm an' g-" Then everyone was smashed into the floor as an area effect wave of BLUE magic engulfed the house. Rus pushed his head up to check on everyone. The others were struggling under the intense pressure of the BLUE magic, having trouble pulling their heads up. Rus didn't blame them - it was so strong it made Rus feel like he couldn't breath. Standing was impossible. Slim managed to get his head up enough to look around, teeth clenched. Comic just turned his head slightly so he could keep an eye on Rus. The fear in that one exposed eye socket made Rus's SOUL ache.

Out came Red's brother from the kitchen. "HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO BARGE INTO MY HOUSE LIKE THE FUCKING-" he stopped. "THE HELL IS THIS?!" He snarled, taking in all the people in his house. He saw Red, pulling him up with the BLUE magic still in effect. "WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

The new skeleton took physical hold of Red by the front of his shirt, shaking him roughly. Red just grinned up at him, the depths of his panic masked by the act. "None o' yer business, Boss."

"IT DAMN WELL IS MY BUSINESS YOU CUNT!" The taller skeleton brought Red down low enough to knee him hard in the ribs, stunning Red with the pain. There was loud crack. Red clutched at his ribs, a red stain soaking through to drip over his phalanges.

A spear flew through the air, aiming at Red's brother, who blocked them with a large white bone. "PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE, PUNK!"

Red's brother looked out of the corner of his eye, almost forgetting the initial reason he had come out of the kitchen. "WAIT YOUR TURN, BITCH! I'LL GET TO YOU IN A MINUTE!"

"WHERE DO YOU GET OFF ACTING LIKE THAT?!" Undyne tried to stand up, but the BLUE magic increased pressure, forcing her back down again. "LIKE HELL I'M LETTING THAT GO!"

"SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU CARED HOW I TREAT MY PROPERTY?!?!?!"

"PROPERTY?!?!" Undyne sputtered, shocked. Rus was shocked too. How was a monster 'property'?

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU STUPID SUSHI ROLL! YER ONLY GONNA MAKE IT WORSE!" Red snarled.

Red's brother smashed him into the wall. "WHO THE HELL SAID YOU COULD RUN YOUR FUCKING MOUTH?!?!" Red's body was a obscured from view by the taller skeleton, but the group could hear him cough and gasp in pain.

Red chuckled weakly. "Fuck you..."

The taller skeleton smashed him back into the wall again, harder. "DON'T YOU TALK BACK TO ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!" And again. And again. And again.

Red looked up at his bro. "Then don't ask stupid questions..." Then he was being punched. Again. And again. And again. At first the smaller skeleton struggled, making noises of pain. But slowly, as the sickening wet crunches continued on, even that stopped.

"I'M!! NOT!!! STUPID!!!" The taller skeleton snarled. "DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW ALL THE SHIT YOU'VE BEEN UP TO!!! ALL THE FUCKING SECRETS!!! THAT FUCKING BASEMENT!!! THINK YOU CAN KEEP SHIT FROM ME?!?!?! I'LL SHOW YOU, I'LL-"

Rus couldn't take it anymore. "PLEASE! NO MORE VIOLENCE!"

The taller skeleton went still. He looked over his shoulder. There was a look of confusion in his sharp features, as though he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He dropped Red, letting the BLUE magic push him down to the floor, and stalked towards Rus. As he did, Rus and Undyne got a better look at him.

The taller skeleton wore a black and red variant of Rus's own Battle Body, modified slightly to better fit the uniform of the Royal Guard. His red scarf was a deeper shade than Rus's own, but also faded in places, and sported a much more ragged end that billowed behind him with the force of his movement. His gloves had spikes protruding along the outside of the wrist guards, and the fingers were pointed like claws. Knowing what Red's bare phalanges looked like, Rus had no reason to believe that feature was aesthetic in nature. The worst part was that the knuckles of one hand were now coated in a fresh layer of blood and marrow.

The taller skeleton pulled Rus upright, a few inches off the ground to meet him at eye level (he was a bit taller than Rus). Rus examined his face. Although all his teeth were sharpened to razor sharp points, and his eye lights were an angry blood red, and his expression was twisted in confusion and near permanent anger, it was obvious how similar he was to the image Rus saw in the mirror every day; the slightly oval eye sockets that were so expressive while being so rigid, the prominent jawline, the defining cheekbones, the curvature of his nasal passage, it was all 'Papyrus'. After seeing Stretch and Slim, Rus shouldn't have been so surprised, but he was. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of this angry violent creature against his own kind and gentle nature, perhaps it was the fact that Rus was still reeling from being brought to his knees by BLUE magic, perhaps it was the fear that this new monster evoked that clouded his thought process. Rus could not be sure.

Undyne gaped, looking behind at the now visible Red. "Holy..." Red was laying face down in a pool of blood that was getting bigger. The wall behind where he lay was now cracked and fractured in a great area the approximate size of his diminutive body, it too smeared with blood and marrow.

Lust finally got his head to move, turning it to check on Red.

The angry 'Papyrus' ignored Undyne, looking Rus up and down. "THE FUCK IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE???" His anger, to Rus's relief, was slowly being eased into mild annoyance, overshadowed by curiosity. "UNDYNE. REPORT. NOW."

Undyne sputtered. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU-" A red bone smashed down next to her head, cutting her off.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU CAME HERE WITHOUT SOMETHING TO REPORT?" The anger creeped back into his voice. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THA-" His voice cut off when a purple bone the size of a finger lodged itself between his cervical vertebrae. The BLUE magic cut off instantly, and Red's brother crumpled to the floor.

Lust finally grinned up from the floor, sweating.

"YOU ARE FUCKING DEAD!!!" The 'Papyrus' screeched from his undignified position, face down on the floor.

Lust picked himself up first, his smile stretched wide on his face, although it wasn't the usual seductive smile. It was something darker, as dark as his eye lights. He sauntered over to the felled skeleton, using his foot to flop him over onto his back. "Aww, I'm sorry. I got a little upset when you _BLUE_ me off, so I might have overreacted."

Comic pushed off the floor and skidded down next to Rus, who was shaking. He quickly put his arms around his brother's shoulders, rubbing his back and whispering soft words of comfort. Undyne joined him, checking Rus over for any injury.

Lust straddled Red's brother, patella on either side of his lumbar vertebrae. He loomed over him, leaning on his chest with one hand. "Actually, this is the first time we've met, isn't it? Hi. I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. But you can call me Lust."

Stretch struggled to his feet, and made his way over to Red, Slim close behind. Stretch carefully pulled Red away from the wall, flipping him so he was on his back with his head cradled in Stretch's lap. Slim wasted no time moving Red's shirt out of the way to assess the damage. Underneath, they found 5 of the ribs had been snapped (some in the back, some in the front), all jutting inward, dripping blood and marrow. Slim did a CHECK:

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 10  
> HP 0.0000000000001 / 1  
> AT 18 | EXP: 1500  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 200  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 200 | KILLED: 32  
  
Red's head rolled to the side, the usually vibrant red eye now dark.

Lust, his back to Red and them, didn't notice. He was entirely focused on 'Papyrus'.

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME YOU WHORE!" The taller skeleton snarled.

Lust grinned wider. "Now, ya see, usually I would. But it seems I've got a _bone_ to pick with you. And not the fun kind..." He scratched lightly along the black material that covered the angry monster's spine between his ribs and hip, poking delicately until he found what he wanted: the joint between the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. "You did a real number on your brother... Not very gentle, are you, cutie?" His eye sockets narrowed.

The skeleton tensed, anger flaring. "FUCK YOU!"

Lust slid the tip of the distal phalanx of his thumb against the lip of the top of the two vertebrae, gripping the lower one with his other fingers. "So you must like it rough, right? After all," he twisted a little to the right, producing a low grinding noise as the bone strained against the pressure, eliciting a hiss from the subject in question. "You wouldn't dish out what you can't take, would you, tough guy?" Increasing the pressure made the monster underneath him grunt with the pain. "So this must be your idea of a **G O O D T I M E**." Lust began to increase the pressure further.

"STOP IT! THINK ABOUT RED!" Stretch shouted from across the room.

Lust blinked, realizing everyone was staring at him. "Heh... My mistake." His cheerful, seductive smile returned, and he sent a brief bit of healing magic into the bone in his hand to fix any small fracture the stress might have caused.

Slim stood up, crossing his arms. He wondered again at how terrifying the smaller skeleton could be when provoked. He also wondered what had been the provocation.

Lust stood up, making his way quickly back over to Red. He took hold of Red's chest, eyes dark with fear, and began healing it. Red did not respond to the act. Stretch pet Red's head, trying not to shake with worry.

'Papyrus' struggled to move, thrashing his head left and right. He must have tried to use his magic as well, because his eye lights lit in shock. Then he saw where Lust was headed. "NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH." He screamed, his struggles intensifying.

Undyne pulled herself away from Rus, growling. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" She punched the floor next to Red's brother's head, making a sizable hole in the wood.

The skeleton didn't flinch, only continued to try and right himself.

"I THINK HE IS HAVING TROUBLE MOVING..." Rus observed aloud. He knelt down, pulling the other 'Papyrus' into a sitting position. The other 'Papyrus' continued to thrash his head (the only thing he was able to move), struggling harder to get up. He wore himself out, his head leaning back against Rus's shoulder as he panted heavily. However, he soon caught his metaphorical breath and resumed his futile efforts.

Comic crept closer. "Careful Pap, he might bite..."

"If he even tries, I'll knock his teeth out!" Undyne declared.

The 'Papyrus', finally realizing he could not brute force his way out of this, calmed himself. He looked up at the fish monster standing over him. Something was wrong. He looked at her and wanted to say 'Undyne', but there were pieces of the picture missing -- scars he had left on her body after a FIGHT, muscles which should have been larger or more prominent, that threatening glare which should have been more substantial in its threat. He would have CHECKed if he had had access to the power.

"LET'S ALL CALM DOWN!!!" Rus pressed. "THIS MUST BE A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!! LET'S JUST TALK THIS OUT!!"

"M-MISUNDERSTANDING?!" Undyne looked at Rus. "Papyrus, this crazy punk almost KILLED someone!!!"

Red's brother looked between the two monsters in front of him. Something wasn't adding up. Without thinking he shouted, "SANS! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" He expected an answer. When nobody said anything, he shouted again, trying to turn his head to look at his brother. "SANS!!! GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND FUCKING ANSWER ME!!!" The room was silent. "SANS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!! GET THE HELL UP AND FUCKING RESPOND BEFORE I COME OVER THERE AND-"

"SHUT UP!!!" Undyne smacking the monster across the face, leaving a few shallow scratches where her scales had cut into the bone. She had put the pieces together. "THAT LITTLE PUNK WAS YOUR BROTHER?!?! YOU DID THAT TO YOUR OWN BROTHER?!?!" Part of her felt sick. Part of her wanted to rip the offending excuse of a monster into pieces right then and there.

"PLEASE, UNDYNE!! LETS JUST TALK IT OUT!! MAYBE HE DIDN'T MEAN TO... TO..." Rus swallowed, unconsciously squeezing down a bit on his counterpart's shoulders.

Slim took a deep breath, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it to calm his nerves. Red's brother really set him on edge. Strutting over, Slim did a quick CHECK on the other 'Papyrus'.

> "Papyrus"  
> ---  
> LV 16  
> HP 27275 / 27300  
> AT 210 | EXP: 12500  
> DF 145 (2) | NEXT: 2500  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: Battle Body  
> GOLD: 3000 | KILLED: 84  
  
Slim whistled when he saw the Stats. "Impressive..." Stretch, who had been watching from his position on the floor, gulped, feeling a little faint. Comic went still, his eye lights darkening. Dance shuddered, pulling his hood up for comfort. Lust briefly glanced over, making certain that his strike hadn't done too much damage (it hadn't, barely scratching the surface of the taller skeleton's absurd HP).

Undyne looked between everyone, unable to see the CHECK. Curious, she made one of her own:

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 16 HP 99% – 210 ATK 147 DEF  
>  ***** Captain of the Royal Guard  
>  ***** Feels humiliated

Undyne blanched, letting go of the monster and stepping back. 'Papyrus' was the Captain of the Royal Guard?! And his ATK was so high!! She looked at Rus, who stood nearby anxiously, watching his new counterpart. What was it that had made such a difference between the two?

'Papyrus' looked between everyone, feeling the piercing gaze that meant being CHECKed. He saw the looks of shock and awe on their face and smiled, regaining some of his hope. "NYEH HEH HEH. SEE SOMETHING YOU LIKE, ASSHOLES??? THATS RIGHT!! YOU FUCKED WITH THE WRONG MONSTER!!! YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF MY HOUSE BEFORE I GET UP AND DUST YOU ALL FOR YOUR IMPUDENCE!!!" He wrenched his head, again trying to move. He had about as much success as before.

Slim stood next to Undyne now, scratching his mandible, his eyes thoughtful. He looked over at Lust, who was still working on Red. "How's the lil guy?" The Great and Terrible Papyrus went still, turning his eyes to his brother. Something akin to regret flashed in his eye lights.

Lust didn't answer right away. "He's... gonna be alright... But his magical reserves are shot. I'd be surprised if he was even awake by tomorrow, never mind moving around..."

"So you're saying we're stuck here?" Dance sounded bitter.

"This is the best I can do..!" Lust sounded hurt. He returned to working on Red, who was at least not losing any more blood/marrow/magic.

The Great and Terrible Papyrus began thrashing more, actually shaking his whole body with his efforts. "GET YOUR FUCKING MITS OFF OF HIM YOU CUNT!! I'LL FUCKING END YOU!! WHEN I GET MY-"

Slim leaned down and flicked him in the forehead with a finger. "Chill, bro." He said softly. "We ain't hurtin' him. We're healin' him. _You're_ the one who hurt him, remember?" Slim was pleased to see the slightest flicker of guilt. Good. He was right after all.

Undyne crossed her arms, doing her best to calm down. It didn't work. "NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!' She snatched up the television and suplexed it, smashing it on the floor into a hundred pieces.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!!! THAT WAS BRAND NEW!!!!" The Great and Terrible Papyrus snarled.

Rus flinched when Undyne did that. "UH, SORRY ABOUT THAT..." he said to his counterpart. "W-WE'LL REPLACE IT..."

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO DUST ME THEN DO IT ALREADY!!!" The Great and Terrible Papyrus growled. "IT WOULD BE BETTER THAN WATCHING YOU RUN RAMPANT IN MY FUCKING HOUSE!!!"

"WE ARE NOT GOING TO DUST YOU!!!" Rus tried to assure him.

"NICE TRY! BUT I WILL NOT BE FOOLED BY YOUR ACT TWICE!!"

Rus was quiet a moment. "I KNOW YOU MUST THINK BADLY OF US... WE MUST HAVE STARTLED YOU, APPEARING SO SUDDENLY IN YOUR HOUSE... BUT WE TRUELY MEAN NO HARM!!! CAN'T WE START OVER? AND BE FRIENDS???"

"Stop it, Papyrus," Undyne said, before Comic could open his mouth. "You have to understand, some people are just rotten. And that will never change."

"EVERYONE CAN CHANGE!!" Rus said firmly. "EVERYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON IF THEY JUST TRY!!!"

Slim watched as the Great and Terrible Papyrus's face changed during the conversation, gradating from fury to annoyance to contemplation, all the time keeping one eye on his brother across the room. He must have seen something that reassured him, because the tension in his jaw lessened ever so slightly.

Lust pulled his hands away from Red, sweating and panting, his stamina depleted. Stretch reached out and caught hold of him before he fell over, shifting Red in his lap so he could ease Lust against the wall for support.

Slim squatted in front of The Great and Terrible Papyrus, slightly to the side of the angry skeleton's line of sight to Red. "How's about we make a deal?"

"DEAL??" The 'Papyrus' asked incredulously.

"Deal?" Comic asked, surprised.

"Yup, a deal. See, Edge - can I call you Edge? - we came here for a reason." Slim watched as The Great and Terrible Papyrus (or Edge) returned his gaze defiantly. It was an incredible experience, seeing the same nobility and grace and strength that he had come to expect from his own amazing brother reflected nearly perfectly in a face so much like his own.

"GO ON." Edge responded. He had to keep them talking while he thought of a plan to get out of his invisible bindings.

"Here's the deal," Slim continued. "You house us, help us look for the things we need, and in return..." he waved one hand over his shoulder, a glowing orange bone materializing over Red's limp body. "...we don't lay a finger on your bro's HP. Sound fair?"

Edge's face went blank. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I GIVE TWO SHITS WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT USELESS TRASHBAG???" Edge snarled. There was the slightest hint of tension, which anyone else might have mistaken for irritation. Slim knew better. It was fear.

"Well then, if you don't wanna play nice, let's play chicken instead." Slim snapped his fingers, and the orange bone began to descend, slowly, towards Red. Edge watched it. Stretch stared at it in abject horror. Lust looked up, sweating again for a different reason, glaring daggers at Slim's back. Dance ground his teeth; he had caught on to Slim's plan, so he planted his feet firmly and kept his mouth shut.

Rus's eyes went wide. "NO! YOU CAN'T-" Comic placed a hand on his shoulder, winking at him reassuringly. Rus was tearing up, but he trusted his brother, and so went quiet. Undyne swallowed, crossing her arms. She recognized this from her class on interrogation techniques (not a pleasant set of lessons, but Gerson has insisted it was a necessary evil).

The orange bone descended, creeping through the air closer and closer towards Red's SOUL. Slim kept his eyes on Edge, a smirk on his face. The others might not see it, but he did: that slight twinge in the light of his eyes when the bone moved; that increased tension in the jaw; the way his breathing stopped and started at irregular intervals, as though he forgot to do it and then remembered; the nearly imperceivable signs of stress in the cartilage near the eyes. It was all there for Slim to read, just like on his own brother.

Just before Stretch could not take it anymore, before he pulled Red into his chest and kicked them both out of the way of the offending projectile; before Lust shot to his trembling feet and got between Red and the attack; before Rus could open his mouth to scream that enough was enough; Slim saw it - the slight inclination of the head, the only sign of resignation he had expected to see from the proud skeleton they now had cornered. He made the bone freeze in midair, waiting for confirmation.

And Edge gave it. "YOU WIN, CUR. I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS."

Slim made the bone vanish and stood up, fixing his coat. "Hey, Lust. You can fix his neck now."

Lust got up slowly, still a little shaky, and came towards Edge. He reached around and pulled out the tiny purple bone, letting it disappear at his touch. Edge immediately pulled away from Rus, clamping his own claws over where Lust had touched, feeling for damage. He scowled at everyone in the room before standing up, brushing himself off, looking over at Red with a mixture of irritation and concern.

Rus stood up, grinning. "WONDERFUL! NOW WE CAN BE FRIENDS!"

Edge glared at him. "STRANGE THING TO CALL BLACKMAIL..." he muttered. "WHAT ARE YOUR DEMANDS??"

Stretch smiled softly, remembering something. "How about food, to start with? Homemade cooking sounds fantastic." Everyone looked at him funny. "What? Adrenaline rushes really work up my appetite."

Edge's face contorted in indignation. "I REFUSE TO-" He stopped, seeing Red held in Stretch's arm. He forced his pride to take a back seat, and marched back into the kitchen.

Undyne sat on the couch, twitching. "This is insane!"

"I know! I bet his cooking is horrid!" Dance agreed.

"NO! I mean-" Undyne searched for the words, "I read about alternate realities a little... How can it be possible for a 'Papyrus' to be so- so-"

"SO VERY UN-PAPYRUS?" Rus chipped in, sitting next to her, trying to be helpful.

Comic's smile was strained. "There are infinite possibilities. Maybe you don't quite understand what that means..." He shifted his stance, pushing down an uncomfortable memory. "Speaking of which, what exactly do you two think you're doing here? Didn't I already explain how dangerous this was?" His voice sounded angry. Rus had never seen Comic genuinely angry.

"This was MY idea, Sans," Undyne started. "Don't blame Papyrus."

"Oh, I know whose idea it was. And when we get back, we'll be having a nice, long talk about all the reasons it was a _bad_ idea. In the meantime, please try not cause more trouble, okay?"

"OKAY BROTHER!" Rus smiled.

Edge came out, pulling his gloves back on over his claws. He frowned down at the mess Undyne had made of his television. With a wave of his hand, four large bones protruded from the floor, ripping the carpet up so that the broken pieces were laying on the cut out portion. With a finger flick, he had more bones push upward and fold the cut carpet inward, herding, scooping and otherwise assuring that the broken pieces were wrapped up in the ripped material like a makeshift bag. Then he grasped the top, where the edges met, and dragged the parcel out the front door. He came back in and glared at the now ruined carpet, tapping his foot irritably. He supposed it was fine. He needed to replace the carpet anyway (the bloodstains were beginning to show). Ignoring his blackmailers, he used BLUE magic to rip up the rest of the ruined carpeting and throw it out the door with the rest. As he did this, he made a quick headcount (making calculations in his head).

That done, Edge returned to the kitchen and continued preparations. If he was going to do something, even unwillingly, he was going to do it right. The Great and Terrible Papyrus was the best at everything. And even if he couldn't see a way out of this at the moment, he was going to remind them of his skill.

_Damn Sans for being captured. Again._

* * *

Over the next 2 hours, during which Edge did not come out of the kitchen, Lust pulled himself together. Looking back at Red, who was sleeping off his experience, he smiled in relief. Red was back at 1/1 HP. He was going to be fine. Lust pulled Red out of Stretch's lap and into his own, cuddling close to the skeleton that had worried him so. Stretch raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment or protest. The skeletons were brought into a word game by Rus to pass the time, which devolved into a pun game, which Rus quickly ejected himself from. Undyne watched and laughed.

Smells wafted from the kitchen, becoming more layered and complex as time progressed. Undyne no longer recognized them all. Curious, she stood up and peaked into the kitchen. Rus followed after her.

Inside, Edge had an incredible spread laid out. Noodles, simmering slowly on the stove, alongside a pot of tomato sauce. A platter of meatballs was sitting, waiting to the side. Edge was pulling a tray of freshly baked garlic bread from the oven, the scent enticing as he emptied it onto a large platter already filled with similar bread. There was also a bowl of greens on the counter, a salad, tossed and ready for consumption.

The strangest thing about the sight was that neither Undyne nor Rus could find any sign of a box. Only eggshells, a bag of flour, and an empty milk carton. Undyne blinked in surprise when she realized it -- _those noodles had been hand made_!

Undyne gripped Rus and dragged him back into the livingroom proper, her mind racing. Why would he make such efforts? To impress them? That would make sense, since he believed they were holding his brother hostage. But that was the part that didn't make sense! Why go to the trouble of working so hard for someone whom he treated so badly? Was there something she was missing?

After a few more minutes, plates were hovered out of the kitchen with BLUE magic, coming to rest on the floor near each individual. The plates included spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and a small side bowl of salad. Silverware was included.

"WOWWIE! SUCH PRESENTATION!!" Rus exclaimed, impressed.

Stretch took the plate and admired it. Taking a testing bite of the noodles, his eye lights sparkled. Red had been right. It smelled as good as it looked, and tasted as good as it smelled.

Slim eyed it thoughtfully, a thought in the back of mind reminding him that it could have been poisoned. He watched Stretch scarf it down, looking for indications that something was off. When Stretch didn't show any sign, Slim took a bite. He purred. It was delicious.

Lust watched Stretch's face, then looked down at his plate. Then he too gave in and tried it. He ate the whole plate in record time.

Comic was hesitant. He had tasted his own brother's cooking plenty and was not obligated to eat anyone elses bad food. But seeing Stretch, he thought it might be worth the risk. The first taste nearly knocked him off his feet, being nothing remotely like he had come to know spaghetti as. He dug in, enjoying a pasta dish for the first time.

Dance was similarly, pleasantly, surprised.

Undyne couldn't believe it. She could taste the passion that was in this food. The good intentions. It was like eating her good friend Papyrus's personality. The foil this presented, the contradiction to her worldview, left her numb. Something was very very wrong.

The whole meal, Edge did not appear. Stretch peaked into the kitchen from his seat, having just the right angle. Inside, Edge was cleaning the dishes and putting everything away, neatly and orderly. It reminded him of his own brother, how he carefully checked the oven for crumbs and the dabbed the water spots from the counter. Stretch bit into the last piece of garlic bread, trying not to let his hopes get the better of him. It was dangerous to hope.

Then he saw Edge dig into the fridge, pull out a can of beer, and chug it like it was water. Edge then crushed the can against his forehead and tossed it into the trash without looking.

"That isn't healthy, you know..." Came a small voice from somewhere out of Stretch's line of sight.

Edge turned and leered at the wall opposite the stove. "GET OUT OF HERE!" He hissed quietly despite the vehemence.

"I came to let you know the non-news. There have been no signs of dust piles! Well, except those that have been accounted for. So don't give up, Papy! There is still hope!"

"I KNOW WHERE HE IS NOW!" Edge hissed again, moving closer to that wall. "SO YOU CAN STOP YOUR UNNECESSARY ASSISTANCE! LIKE I TOLD YOU BEFORE!"

"You found him? Is he okay?"

"AS WELL AS CAN BE EXPECTED!"

"That's great news!!" The voice sounded genuinely relieved. "Since I'm here, is there anything else I can help with?"

Edge paused, thinking. "STANDBY. I MAY FIND SOME USE FOR YOU," he muttered. "BUT KEEP HIDDEN. YOU'RE LESS THAN USELESS IF YOU'RE FOUND."

"Sure thing, Papy. And give my regards to Sans!"

After a moment, Edge came out. Stretch noticed the slight glint of pride as he surveyed the empty plates. With a wave, the dishes were whisked into the kitchen with BLUE magic. "I HAVE SATISFIED YOUR RIDICULOUS DEMANDS. OUR DEAL IS MET."

Slim blew smoke through his nasal cavity. "Fair is fair. But we'll be keeping the lil guy for a bit longer. Ain't that right, Lust?" Lust pulled Red closer, disliking the idea of handing him over to Edge. Slim chuckled.

Edge twitched. He had expected that, but it still irked him. He glared at the fish monster with greater ire.

Undyne noticed. "Whats your problem?"

"YOUR FUCKING FACE, YOUR TRAITOROUS BITCH."

"YOU WANNA GO, PAL?!" Undyne summoned a spear out of habit and instinct.

"I'D LOVE TO! AND AS SOON AS I GET MY PROPERTY BACK FROM YOU, I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A SEAFOOD SHISH-KEBAB!!!"

That made Undyne hesitate. Rus took the brief pause of negative feelings and took hold of Undyne's shoulders. "ACTUALLY WE HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM GRUMPY BROTHER AT ALL! THAT WAS ALL AN ELABORATE JAPE! ONE IN POOR TASTE!! I APOLOGIZE!!"

Slim's hand clacked into his own face so hard he thought he would go blind. Comic just started laughing, it was such a 'Papyrus' thing to do he couldn't even be mad. Stretch cracked a smile. Lust got nervous, pulling Red closer. Dance sighed, kicking himself for not expecting it. Undyne gapped.

Edge just stared at Rus in disbelief.

Rus smiled. "WE JUST REALLY WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU!!!"

Stretch looked down at Red. Another idea hit him. He stood up, stretching. "Well, I guess the jig is up. But, uh, in the _spirit_ of good sportsmanship, how about we end this with a drinking game?"

Edge frowned. A few dozen jagged red bones appeared in the room, taking aim. "GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON I SHOULDN'T JUST KILL YOU ALL RIGHT!! FUCKING!! NOW!!"

"Does the _Great and Terrible Papyrus_ ever back down from a challenge?" Stretch asked a little too innocently.

Edge clicked his teeth. The bones dissipated. "YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION."

Stretch stuffed his hands in his pockets. "The game is simple. You got questions, right? So do we. So it'll be a question game. For each question you ask, you take a shot. For each question you answer, you take a shot. For each question you _don't_ answer, you take two shots. If you're caught in a lie, you take three shots. Last one standing wins."

Edge thought about this. Knowledge was power, and he DID have questions (how the smarmy fucker in the tacky orange hoodie knew that was irrelevant at this point). He was rather confident in his ability to hold his liquor, so he could simply take the penalty shots and still get information... He grinned. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus. He was great at everything.

Snapping his fingers, Edge summoned three tall bottles from the unusually large cabinet under the sink. He also brought out four shot glasses. They floated around him until he took one of the bottles and held it up. "WE WILL USE THIS THEN. GRILLBY'S FINEST 'INFERNO REDEMPTION'. ONLY THING THE DAMN FLASHLIGHT IS EVEN GOOD FOR AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED."

Slim's eyes lit up. He had never heard of that before. "What proof is it?" he asked without thinking.

Edge poured a shot glass and floated it over to Slim. Slim realized he had just roped himself into the game. He took the shot. His eyes went wide as it burned down his insides like its namesake before melting away. Edge snickered at his face. Pouring himself a glass, Edge downed it. "96% PURE ALCOHOL."

Stretch gulped. He hadn't expected this, but maybe it was for the best. If his plan was to be successful, he had to get Edge wasted. He walked over and took both a shot glass and a bottle. Pouring himself a shot, he stepped back, thinking.

Edge got impatient. He took another shot. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE?"

Stretch grinned. "Oh, right, introductions. Hi, I'm Papyrus, but you can call me 'Stretch'. It's less confusing."

Edge glared at him. He remembered the 3-shot penalty for lying that the little prick had mentioned, and CHECKed him.

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** The easiest enemy  
>  ***** Can only deal 1 damage

Stretch laughed at the look on Edge's face, almost spitting out his drink. "Nyeh, yeah, crazy right? I'm from an alternate universe!"

Edge briefly recalled the events from before, and looked at the slutty skeleton holding his brother.

> ***** SANS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** The easiest  
>  *****

Lust looked back at him, smiling. "Call me 'Lust'."

Edge ground his teeth. "YOU CLEVER BITCH!" He spun to glare at Undyne. "GETTING YOUR PRECIOUS LIZARD TO SUMMON AN ARMY FROM OUTSIDE SPACE TIME!!!"

Undyne blinked. "Uh... I'm kinda from an alternate universe too... I'm pleased to say I'm not _YOUR_ Undyne." She grinned, pointing at Rus with her thumb. "I'm _his_ Undyne!"

Edge blinked, checking them both.

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 1 HP 100% – 8 ATK 2 DEF  
>  ***** Likes to say "NYEH HEH HEH!"  
>  ***** Feeling hopeful.

  


> ***** UNDYNE – LV 3 HP 100% – 50 ATK 20 DEF  
>  ***** Captain of the Royal Guard  
>  ***** The heroine that NEVER gives up.

Rus waved, grinning. "HI! I'M PAPYRUS! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME 'RUS'! IT IS SHORT FOR 'PAPYRUS'!"

Slim snatched the last floating bottle and the unclaimed shot glass. He held it up, looking to see if anyone else wanted to join in. Dance shook his head, sitting on the stairs and leaning back against the wall to observe the chaos he was sure would soon ensue. Comic considered it, but decided he was out of his league.

In the end, to everyone's surprise, it was Rus who took the glass, smiling. Comic turned blue. Rus grinned. "IF I PLAY THIS DRINKING GAME, I CAN ASK QUESTIONS TOO RIGHT??"

Undyne took his glass. "You're too young to drink! I'll do it for ya!"

Edge sat on the now empty TV stand, pouring himself his next drink.

Slim handed his bottle to Undyne and went to sit next to Stretch to share that one. Undyne sat on the couch with Rus and Comic, pouring herself a shot and taking it violently. After she got her shudders under control she asked, "Ok, punk, tell me, what is the Undyne of this world like?" She was intensely curious.

Edge made a grunting noise, taking his drink. "SHE'S A FUCKING BITCH." He didn't elaborate. Undyne waved her hand to try and coax more from him, but he just took another drink and asked, "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL HERE??"

Slim took the answer drink. "Came to find machine parts."

Rus grinned. "THEY ARE BUILDING A VERY COMPLEX THINGAMAJIG THAT IS GOING TO LET THEM COME AND GO THROUGH OTHER UNIVERSES!!!" He volunteered the information, thinking Slim had simply forgotten to say it.

Edge ground his teeth, chewing on that interesting bit of information.

Lust took Stretch's glass, throwing it back. "Hey, Edge, what color's your underwear?"

Edge bristled. He quickly took two shots. Lust snickered, winking at Stretch as he returned the glass. He had caught on to the real game.

Edge took another drink. "HAS SANS BEEN WITH YOU THIS WHOLE TIME?? IN SOME OTHER UNIVERSE??"

Slim took the drink to answer. "Uh huh. He's a great smokin' buddy."

Edge twitched. He should have known that while _he_ was running around trying to find his brother's fucking remains, _Sans_ was getting shitfaced. Just like him. Typical.

Stretch took another shot, thinking about his time with Red. "Whats it like being the Captain of the Royal Guard?"

Rus got excited. "YOU'RE THE CAPTAIN?!??!? WOWWIE!!! THATS SO COOL!!!!"

Edge took his answer drink. "IT'S FUCKING WORK." Edge dimly thought that he could by all rights stop there, but he had had a shit day, and he was starting to feel the booze, and he had wanted to vent about this very topic to someone for a while. So he kept going. "IT'S FUCKING WORK: KEEPING THOSE DAMN DOGS IN LINE; BAILING MY BITCH OF A SECOND-IN-COMMAND OUT OF FUCKING PRISON EVERY OTHER FUCKING WEEK BECAUSE SHE GOES AND MOUTHS OFF ABOUT THE KING, LIKE WE ALL DON'T FUCKING KNOW SHE FUCKING HATES HIS ASS; SPENDING COIN OUT OF MY OWN FUCKING POCKET TO BUY OFF THE FUCKING GANGS; KEEPING THAT CRAZY BITCH OF A ROYAL SCIENTIST OUT OF MY FUCKING BUSINESS -- I FOUND THREE STARS DAMNED CAMERAS IN MY HOUSE YESTERDAY!! _THREE!!!_ HOW THAT SKANK KEEPS GETTING THEM IN HERE IS BEYOND ME!!! AND THE PAPERWORK!!! THE FUCKING PAPERWORK!!!" He rocked forward a bit, catching himself at the last minute before he slipped off the TV stand. "ALL THE FUCKING PAPERWORK!!! I HAVE TO WRITE UP, OR SIGN OFF ON, EVERY GODDAMN DUSTING FROM HERE TO NEW HOME!!! **EVERY!! FUCKING!!! DAY!!!!** DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY MONSTERS DIE EVERY FUCKING DAY?!?! _BECAUSE I DO!!! **ITS MY FUCKING JOB TO KNOW!!!!**_ "

The room was silent. Slim clenched his teeth. Edge's words hit home poignantly. Slim can't remember a day when his brother hadn't had to write his name on some piece of paper taped to a bag of dust and clothing scraps. But they had an arrangement with Alphys (the second-in-command), so the work was split between them. All the guards knew that everything north of the garbage dump was supposed to be handled by Alphys, and everything south went to Sans. Slim could imagine having one person do it all, but it wasn't a pretty picture. And now he was looking at the result of that kind of stress.

_A monster who couldn't bring himself to get close to anyone, even his own brother._

Undyne sat in silence, her scales growing paler and paler as Edge ranted. Her job had always been a joy. She was helping people! True, she didn't much like the human hunting part, but it isn't like she had met any good humans (until Frisk), so it wasn't so bad. She felt her heart crawl into her throat and lodge there, thinking about how awful it would be to have to not only know, but actively take part in the recording of every death on her watch. A death that might have been preventable had she been better at her work.

Rus wiped tears from his eyes. Poor Edge had been having such a hard time. It's no wonder he was upset!! Well, maybe the way he handled his feelings wasn't the most ideal, but...

Edge looked up, taking in the looks on everyones faces. "NYEH HEH HEH!!! THAT SHUT YOU BASTARDS UP DIDN'T IT."

Stretch decided it was as good a time as any to start. He took a drink. "Why did you get so angry earlier? With Red? I mean, with your brother?"

Edge took his shot. He started pouring for the penalty shot, knowing in the back of his mind that this was a personal question and he had no intention of answering. However, his mouth started working automatically. "ASSHOLE GOES TO HIS POST FOR ONCE AND NEVER COMES BACK!!! NO WORD, NO NOTE, I CAN'T EVEN FEEL THE SIGNATURE FROM HIS COLLAR ANYMORE!!! I TURN THE UNDERGROUND UPSIDE DOWN LOOKING FOR THE FUCKING PRICK. I LOOK THROUGH BAGS OF UNIDENTIFIED DUST, DREADING THE MOMENT I FIND ONE WITH THAT DISGUSTING MUSTARD COVERED JACKET. I EVEN SENT THAT FUCKING WEED OUT LOOKING IN THE FAR REACHES WHERE I CAN'T GO WITHOUT DRAWING SUSPICION. NOTHING! A FUCKING WEEK OF WAITING FOR THAT KNOCK ON THE DOOR WHERE THEY DELIVER THE DUST LIKE ITS JUST ANY OTHER MONSTER. THEN HE POPS IN LIKE HE NEVER FUCKING LEFT!!!!! _AND NO FUCKING EXPLANATION!!!!!!_ THAT FUCKING PRICK!!! THAT UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT!!!!! AND THEN HE DISAPPEARS AGAIN!!!! I THINK MAYBE I MIGHT HAVE- MIGHT HAVE..." Edge downed the drink in his hand, game be damned. "AND THEN THERE HE IS WITH THAT FUCKING SHIT EATING GRIN ON HIS FACE, LIKE HE DOESN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT THE HELL HE KEEPS PUTTING ME THROUGH. FUCKING CUNT. SCREW HIM. SCREW HIM. SCREW. HIM." Edge's hands were shaking now. Whether it was from drinking half a bottle, or because of his own emotions, nobody could be certain. "AND SCREW YOU FOR MAKING A JOKE OUT OF- OUT OF..."

Edge's vision blurred. He heard the distant crash as he dropped the bottle and the glass, falling both to the floor and into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Undyne regrets all the things
> 
> ~ Lust is even more protective of Red now
> 
> ~ my headcanon is that Undyne killed a few of the humans to spare Asgore the pain of doing it. Thus the LV
> 
> ~ Notice how Undyne's and Edge's CHECKs look different than the Sans'? There is a reason for that. JUDGEs see a lot more than normal monsters. 
> 
> ~ Rus is an innocent cinnamon roll and only wanted to make Edge feel better because Rus wants everyone to be friends
> 
> ~ monsters don't get alcohol poisoning as easy as humans. thank god or this might have ended badly
> 
> ~ So Edge passed out after 11 shots of what basically equates to _Spirytus Rektyfikowany_ (only brewed by a fire elemental) in less than an hour. Thats respectable imo.


	22. The Weight of Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Undyne does a lot of snooping, which lets Stretch get a better grasp of the Fell Brother's real dynamic. Rus makes a new friend. Also there is a mutiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah I'm having way too much fun and way too many feels being in Underfell.

Slim watched with a mixture of regret and amusement as Edge dropped to the floor, one hand instinctively catching himself to mute the damage from the fall.

Rus looked around the room. "DOES THIS MEAN WE WIN??"

Stretch grinned. "Yup. We win." He put the bottle and the shot glass down.

Lust sighed in relief, running his hand absentmindedly over Red, hand under his jacket and thumbing his clavicle through the red sweater. "That was quick thinking, Stretch. How'd you figure that out?"

Stretch shrugged. "I saw him sneak a beer in the kitchen. And I gambled on him having a loose tongue when compromised. Red does, so it wasn't much of a _stretch_ , heh."

Dance shifted, arms going behind his head for a cushion. "So who wants to go dumpster diving?"

"No, we had better wait for Red," Comic returned. "He said something about gangs. Our first priority should be safety." Comic was not going to risk leaving his brother stranded in a place like this. Caution was the only acceptable choice when Rus was involved.

"I suppose as long as we stay here, nothing is going to bother-" Dance was cut off by a loud banging on the front door.

"Captain!!!" It was Doggo. "Captain!!! I have a report!!!"

The room froze. Except for Rus, who went to answer the door. Comic jumped onto his back and pulled him to the floor with BLUE magic. Before Rus could open his mouth to protest, Comic shushed him. Rus had never seen his brother move so quickly. He had never seen him so scared.

The pounding continued. Stretch signed to the room { _What do we do?_ }

Comic signed back. { _NOTHING. Ignore him and he will go away._ }

Lust hovered over Red protectively. { _I like that plan._ }

Dance interjected. { _Should we hide?_ }

Undyne watched this silent conversation, understanding nothing, the pounding starting to get to her. She stood up from the couch, still clutching the bottle and the shot glass, and stomped over to the door. Before anyone could stop her, she Sparta-kicked the door open, smashing it into Doggo's face, sending him back off the porch. "NGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! SHUT UP!!!!!" She snarled.

Doggo crawled out from under the broken door, looking up at the angry fish monster. His eyes flickered with fear. Standing there in her cargo pants and tank-top, holding the heavy alcohol, her eyes flashing in anger, Undyne was a terrifying sight. Most importantly, to Doggo, who had such poor eyesight, she was the spitting image of the Undyne in this universe. They smelled exactly alike, save a few small discrepancies that could be explained away by circumstance. 

"V-VICE CAPTAIN??? Uh, Vice Captain! I have a report for Captain Papyrus! From, uh, Waterfall..?"

Undyne ground her teeth, realizing that she might have acted rashly (again), but it was too late to back down now. She tried to think quickly. "Then spit it out!!"

Doggo stood straighter. "Yes ma'am! Another riot has broken out between the Dummies and the Temmies. As per protocol, we have dispatched a unit to the scene for damage control. So far, only 6 casualties have been reported. The LV black books are being updated as we speak."

Undyne stared hard at Doggo. _Only_ 6? Was there usually more?? She made certain to memorize the report. "If thats all, go get a replacement for this damn door! I want it fixed within the hour!!"

Doggo saluted and ran off, thankful he wasn't getting worse.

Undyne came back inside to stares of disbelief (and one of awe from Rus). "What?"

Rus almost squealed with delight, scrambling to his feet. "THAT WAS SO COOL!!! WHAT WAS THE REPORT???"

Undyne looked at Rus. "Papyrus, where would you keep your paperwork if you were Captain?"

Rus thought about it. "UM, MY ROOM??"

Undyne headed upstairs. When she found the room locked, she came back and patted down Edge for the key.

"What are you doing???" Comic asked incredulously.

"I'm writing up the report." She said simply.

"Why????"

"Because it's the least I can do. It's our fault _he_ isn't able to do it, right?" Undyne found the hidden pocket on the inside of Edge's chest plate, the opening obscured by his red scarf. it was zipped shut, but inside was a key ring with several keys attached. Undyne recognized one, being an exact replica of the key to the guard house in New Home. Another was the key to the skeleton brother's house (she had seen Rus use it a few times). The others were a mystery to her.

Slim eyed her with a glimmering of respect. Honor was a rare and treasured trait as far as he was concerned.

Lust looked at the open door. "We have to hide now... We'll be in Red's room." He snapped his fingers and vanished.

Rus looked down at Edge. After debating on it, he knelt down and slung the drunk skeleton's arm over one shoulder, hoisting him up. "THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS PUT HIM IN HIS ROOM, RIGHT???"

Undyne smiled softly. Rus was a treasure. He would never be cut out for the hard truths of the Royal Guard, but Undyne wouldn't have it any other way. She headed upstairs, Rus carrying Edge after her.

Comic followed, wanting to keep an eye on Rus. Stretch followed out of curiosity. Slim and Dance sat on the couch, out of sight of the door. Slim saw no point in going upstairs (he had a feeling he knew what they would find, give or take). Dance simply didn't care enough.

Undyne had to try a few times before she found the right key for the door. It opened with a soft creak. Turning on the light, the room was revealed.

The basic layout was like Rus's room, bed in one corner, computer in the other, table with figures, bookshelf overflowing with books, everything neat and tidy. However, there were some differences: the color scheme was darker; the bed was a deeper more vibrant red; the box of bones by the door was replaced by a large metal safe with a combination lock; the figures on the table were detailed carvings of the residents of the underground; the bookshelf was filled with nothing but cookbooks, war strategy guides, and a dozen binders of files, each one labeled with a year and a quadrant of the underground.

Rus carefully laid out Edge on the bed, tucking him in. he then turned around and inspected the carvings. They were positioned on top of a detailed map of the Underground. There was a figure of a female Asgore, hissing and glaring furiously in the area of the Ruins. The Canine Unit was scattered over Snowdin, surrounding the town proper, where a regal if intimidating carving of Grillby stood poised. There was a scary looking Temmie in a biker jacket which stood ready to strike in southern Waterfall, and an extremely angry Dummy thrashing about in the north. Between them was a terrifying but awe inspiring figure of Undyne, all fury and laughter and death in full armor as she held a spear over her head. Over in Hotland was a cackling Alphys, looking downright insane. Beside her stood Mettaton, each of his four arms posed dramatically as he stuck one of his amazing legs up into the air, head thrown back and four eyes closed in rapture. Beyond, in New Home, was the King, who sat sternly on his thrown, trident erect and ready.

Taking off one of his gloves, Rus carefully picked up the one of Edge himself, inspecting it. It was a perfect replica in wood, only 3 inches tall, detailing everything from the precise number of teeth to the jut of his jaw. Rus put it back down exactly where had been, on top of their house in Snowdin. As he did, his attention was drawn to a figure set off the map, near the wall. It was Red, his shoulders up in a shrug, hands in his pockets, one foot up as he stood on the ball of his other one, as if he had just jumped down from somewhere higher and had been frozen mid-landing. His eyes were closed, but there was a genuine grin carved into his face, which looked almost relaxed.

Undyne went over to the bookshelf, inspecting the binders. The years cataloged dated back to as far as 5 years ago. She pulled out one, the oldest from the Hotland Quadrant, her curiosity getting the better of her. Inside were detailed fatality reports: who had been killed; where the remains had been found; what artifacts had been retrieved; eye witness accounts of the event, when available; who had done the killing, and how much EXP they had gained from it. Undyne flicked through the pages, scanning over names, some of which she recognized. She found her own name in a few of them, always either the offender or the witness.

The last page made her stop.

> **DATE:** MM/DD/20XX  
>  **SUBJECT:** Gerson  
>  **SUMMARY:** Formal Execution, as decreed by King Asgore, for "treasonous behavior"  
>  **EXP:** 600  
>  **RECIEVED:** Asgore Dreemurr  
>  **LV:** 19 - > 20  
>  **WINESSES:** Undyne, Papyrus, RG 01, RG 02 

Undyne felt a wave of rage and indignation. It took all her self control to not rip the binder into unrecognizable shreds. What was WRONG with this world?! She forced herself to close it, carefully putting it back where it was. Then she stomped violently over to the computer, where a large pile of paper was sitting. Taking a blank piece, she snatched up the nearest writing utensil (a red pen) and wrote out the report from Doggo.

DD/MM/20XX  
Riot between the Dummies and the Temmies.  
Unit dispatched to the scene for damage control.  
6 casualties reported as of ~2:40 PM  
LV black books being updated.

Undyne's hands shook as she remembered how casually it had been spoken. How routine this kind of event had become. How there were _FIVE YEARS_ of this sitting a few feet away. It made her SOUL ache. She took a deep breath, hew gaze falling on a small brown booklet. She picked it up to distract her from her feelings.

Stretch took her place at the bookshelf, reaching over to pull out another binder. He flipped to a random entry and read it silently:

> **DATE:** MM/DD/20XX  
>  **SUBJECT:** Bear  
>  **SUMMARY:** Cloths found in dust pile outside of town. Last seen by Papyrus and Sans during confrontation that ended uneventfully. Threats exchanged.  
>  **EXP:** 120  
>  **RECIEVED:** unknown  
>  **LV:** *  
>  **WINESSES:** n/a 

Comic looked at the safe, deciding it would make as good a chair as anything. Settling down, he looked back at Rus, who was still sitting on the edge of the sportscar bed, gazing at the carvings. Comic's eyes drifted to the table too, but then they fell down, looking underneath. Hidden under the table was sizable waste basket, filled to the brim with figures. Each one had a red mark across them. Comic came over and pulled the basket out. He started pulling them out, one by one: Froggits; Whimsums; Moldsmals; Vegetoids; Dummies; Temmies; Looxes; Jerry; Aarons; Vulkins; Pyropes; Knight Knights; Snowdrakes; Ice Caps. Comic counted them: 84. He ground his teeth. If this was what he thought it was...

It was, unfortunately, a very 'Papyrus' thing to do.

Stretch pulled himself away from the bookshelf, almost tripping over Comic on the floor. He saw the basket in front of him, taking in the number. He had to count them twice, just to be certain. He wondered if Red knew about this little makeshift shrine.

Comic sighed. He carefully put the basket figurines back and pushed the basket back under the table.

"Hey, guys, I think I found his Diary!" Undyne said over her shoulder.

"What??" Stretch looked up.

Comic looked at Rus. "Do you keep a diary??"

Rus grinned. "YES! BUT, UH, SHOULD WE REALLY BE READING THAT? IT SEEMS A LITTLE PRIVATE..."

"All the more reason to do it!" Undyne said, her mischievousness now overshadowing her sensibilities. She turned to a random page and read aloud.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Eggs were on sale today. Attempted something called an omelette. Results questionable. Sans drenched his in mustard and pepper. Seemed content. No fights.' "

She flipped the page and kept reading.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Electricity maze now updated to 3000 volts. Found Sans passed out at his station. Had to carry him home. No fights.' "

Stretch leaned against the wall, listening. This was useful.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Mettaton has a great show. Two amalgamates, courtesy of Alphys, fought to the death for 4 hours before they both fell over. No fatalities, and the promise of a sequel. My favorite kind of episode.' What the hell is an amalgamate??"

"Don't ask." Comic and Stretch said at the same time. Rus and Undyne both looked at them funny. When neither one elaborated, Undyne continued.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Bridge trap now has 75% more knives. Found a book in the library called _Anger Management For Dummies_. Title amused me. Contents did not.' " Undyne frowned at the page. " 'Will be attempting suggestions. Perhaps Sans will respond more favorably.' "

Comic and Undyne exchanged looks with Stretch, then looked over at the sleeping Edge. Rus grinned. "LOOKIE THERE! ATTEMPTS AT SELF BETTERMENT! ISN'T THAT NICE??"

" 'Journal Entry #######. Laundry day. The expected argument with Sans ensued. Attempted the suggestions from last night's reading. Positive results. No fight today.' "

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Table trap now includes a net trigger. Did more reading last night. Implemented techniques therein to stop a bar fight between Doggo and Lesser Dog. No casualties. This pleases me. Downside: left arm compromised. Came home for maintenance. Sans seemed irritated. Used the methods from laundry day. No fight.' "

Stretch frowned. If this was all true, then where had this progress gone?

Undyne flipped to the next page. " 'Journal Entry #######. My book is missing. Door was still locked and not tampered with. Window was still locked and not tampered with. Inquired about it to Sans.' " Undyne's voice got a tad softer, the fins on the side of her face drooping slightly. " 'Known methods failed. Had another fight.' "

Stretch and Comic looked at each other. Red didn't..?

Undyne shook her head, flipping the page to continue. " 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Switch trap now more aesthetically pleasant. Bailed-' " Undyne stopped, swallowing. " 'Bailed Undyne out again. Bitch bit me. Arm broke. Came home for maintenance. Stained the carpet again. Doomfanger got sick. Had another fight.' "

Undyne flipped, reading faster.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Practiced that technique today. Control not satisfactory. Power output still exceeds precision. Went to library during break. Turns out there are no more copies of the book. Cleaned kitchen. Sans got mad we were out of beer. I got mad he didn't do the shopping. Had another fight.' "

Flip.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Electricity maze is up to 4000 volts now. Found Ice Wolf attacking Sans on the way home. Killed him for his impudence. Sans got mad. Had another fight.' "

Flip.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Took monthly report compilation to New Home. Hotland is still insufferably cluttered with laser beams and vents. Came home late. No Sans. Found him passed out at Grillby's. No fight.' "

Flip.

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. The ice puzzle has been perfected. Made rounds to all guard posts for monthly inspection. Sans still hasn't recalibrate his puzzles. Had another fight.' "

_Flip._

" 'Journal Entry #######. Spent break talking to The Weed. Weed made a few interesting observations. Sat down today to talk with Sans about the aforementioned. Had another fight.' "

_Flip._

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Table trap now 12% more desirable. Sans skipped work today. Did not leave his room. Found four more scratches on the wall. No fight.' "

_Flip._

" 'Journal Entry #######. Made a bet with Undyne on the Mettaton fight. Lost bet and 5000 gold. Suspect fight was rigged. _Alphys_. Broke TV. Sans got mad. Had another fight.' "

_**Flip.** _

" 'Journal Entry #######. Recalibrated traps. Electricity maze now 5000 volts. Aaron mouthed off today. My LV is 16 now. Sans made a joke. Fight avoided thanks to snow. Note to self: procure more carving wood.' "

_**Flip.** _

" 'Journal Entry #######. Practiced that attack again. Control improved, but still below acceptable levels. Power output increased. Number of summons up to 60. Doomfanger ran off with another sock. Laughed at Sans's face. Had another fight.' "

_**Flip.** _

" 'Journal Entry #######. Sans-' "

Stretch took the journal carefully with one hand, closing it. "Thats enough..." Undyne breath hard. She did not take the journal back as Stretch placed it back on the computer desk.

Rus saw Comic's trembling fist at his side, taking it gently between his own hands. "BROTHER??"

Comic did not respond.

* * *

Doggo came back in an hour, hauling a new door on his back. He pushed it into place in the doorframe and ran off, not wanting to get in the way when someone came to fix it in place. Dance pulled a screwdriver from his pocket and did it from the inside. By the time Undyne, Rus, and Comic came back down, the door was as good as new, and locked.

Rus went about cleaning up the spilt drink and broken glass that had happened when Edge had passed out, using a dust pan and a sponge he found after looking in the kitchen. Comic slumped against the wall close to the stairs, wanting to pace, but knew it would just be a waste of energy he didn't have. Undyne paced, as if for him, going back and forth in front of the empty TV stand.

Stretch turned and went to check on Red and Lust. He took careful hold of Red's doorknob, remembering the state it had been in, and came inside.

The room still looked as depressing as before. Lust had kicked the wad of dirty brown sheets to the floor and laid Red out on the bed. Lust was curled up against his side, sleeping off his stress. Stretch smiled. He didn't quite know when it was Lust had become so attached, but it was cute, and he couldn't complain. Stretch sat on the wad of sheets like a beanbag chair and closed his eyes. His head hurt.

A little sleep sounded heavenly.

* * *

Edge groaned as the piercing noise of his phone alarm roused him. He blinked his eyes open, staring up at the familiar dim streak of light that stretched across his bedroom ceiling from his window. He fumbled in his cloths, pulling out his phone. 6:00 AM. Time to get up and greet the day with enthusiasm.

As Edge pulled himself out of bed, working the kinks from his joints, fighting off the hangover that tried to undo him, a thought occurred to him. He didn't remember going to bed. He remembered being angry. He remembered the mass of intruders. He remembered taking that last drink.

Then nothing. Had he managed to stumble upstairs? He must have. After all, he was the only one with the key to-

His keys were on the table. He never put his keys on the table. Ever. Snatching them up, he looked around the room, sensing a disturbance though the grating pain in his skull. Then he saw it: the lone paper out of place on his desk. He lunged for it. And read it. Fuck.

Edge wrenched his door open, locking it behind him and stuffing his keys back into his pocket. Coming downstairs, he saw that the annoying pests were still squatting. Some on the couch, some on the floor, others missing. At this point, he didn't have the time to care. He marched to the door - was there something different about it? it seemed different - and left.

Marching through the biting winter wind cleared Edge's head right up. His steps became more sure, his pace quickening. A few teenagers scrambled out of the way as he passed through the town proper, heading for the Guard Posts outside of town. Damn right, they better run. He was not in the mood.

Edge came to a stop at Lesser Dog's post. The monster looked up at him, a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold running through it. Edge crossed his arms. "YESTERDAY. REPORT NOW."

Lesser Dog jumped to its feet, saluting. "Yes sir! Gang activity in Waterfall escalated. Total of 23 reported deaths. Primary recipients of the EXP were Mad Dummy and Bob. Detailed reports are being written up by Vice Captain Undyne."

Edge ground his teeth. Fucking Mad Dummy. Fucking Bob. He should have known. "RESUME YOUR POST." Edge stalked back to town. A wonderful fucking way to start a horrible fucking day.

Back at the house, the lazy ones were starting to stir.

Slim opened his eye as soon as the door opened, eyeing Edge. Edge looked around the room, frowning. Slim chuckled. Pointing to Red's room, he said, "Upstairs." Edge shot him a dirty look, but trudged up the stairs.

Edge was a bit more careful about handling Red's doorknob. He had been the one who broke it, and that had been the beginning of another fight. Pushing the door open carefully, he looked inside.

And saw Lust laying practically on top of Red.

Edge snatched Lust up by the throat, squeezing. "THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!?" He began to shake the smaller skeleton violently. Lust, who had been asleep, shot his eyes open, clawing at Edge's arm, disoriented and confused. The lack of magical circulation was not conductive to reasonable thought, either. He did realize the need to escape as he watched a jagged bone appear in Edge's other hand.

Stretch jumped awake at the sound of Edge's voice. He took in what had happened. Snatching at the arm with the bone, Stretch did his best to remain calm. "Edge, stop! That is _not_ a reasonable response!" Stretch said firmly, trying to invoke his elder brother voice. He had no idea if this was the right approach, but it was all he could think of.

Edge stopped shaking Lust, although he did not release him. He turned to look at Stretch. "DON'T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT YOU FUCKING SMARMY ASS SHIT-STAIN!!"

Stretch took a deep breath. This was going to be a slow process. He had to be patient. "I get it. You're angry. You think this is an inappropriate arrangement. But, uh, maybe if you'd just calm down, you'd see there was nothing particularly bad going on. Your bro is fine. No need to act rashly."

Edge glared at Stretch. He looked down at Red. He glared at Lust, who was still struggling in his grasp. Grinding his teeth, he dropped Lust onto the floor, the bone in his hand dissipating. Lust landed on his coccyx, gasping, clutching at his throat, which now had a small crack in it. He healed it quickly as Edge sneered down. "KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF SANS. I WILL NOT BE SO LENIENT NEXT TIME."

A low groan came from the bed. "Can't a guy die 'n peace....?"

All three turned to look at Red, who covered his eye sockets with his hand and groaned again. Red blinked squinting even in the dim light. "Boss..? Th' fuck are ya-" Red realized that Lust and Stretch were there. This was not just another normal day. "FUCK!" He swung out of bed, biting back a hiss of pain as he realized his magical reserves were low and stretched thin over his bones.

"STOP FUCKING MOVING YOU PRICK!" Edge shoved Red roughly back into bed. "YOU'RE USELESS TO ME LIKE THAT!!"

"Fuck YOU, I'm FINE!!!" Red snarled back.

"LIE TO ME AGAIN AND SEE WHAT FUCKING HAPPENS!!!"

"Since WHEN do ya fuckin' WANT me 'n bed?!"

"WHO THE FUCK SAID I WANTED YOU IN BED?!?!?"

"What, ya so STUPID ya don't even know what ya want now?!"

Edge drew his hand back to punch Red. "DON'T YOU CALL ME STUPID YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!"

Red had braced for the impact, squeezing his eyes shut.

Stretch grabbed hold of Edge's wrist with both hands, straining with all his might. He made it just in time, stopping Edge's fist centimeters away from connecting with Red's ribs. "Stop it." He said firmly again.

Red's eyes snapped open. "MIND YER OWN FUCKIN' BUSINESS!!!" He snarled at Stretch. He looked back at Edge. "MORON! Ya got another hand! Fuckin' use it!!"

Edge didn't have to be told twice. As Edge drew back to punch with his other hand, Lust intervened, shoving a pink bone into the joint under Edge's arm, making the limb go limp. Edge snarled.

Red sat up again, snarling. "I SAID MIND YER OWN-"

"SHUT UP, RED!" Stretch snapped. Red and Lust both gaped at him (they had never heard Stretch raise his voice before). Stretch turned his attention back to Edge. "Calm down," Stretch soothed, using his big brother voice again. "He's just pushing your buttons. You're better than that, right?"

Edge twitched, grinding his teeth so hard it was audible. Stretch felt the tension in his arm lessen, until his own hands were the only thing holding it up. He let go, and Edge pulled away.

Edge stepped back, reaching under his other arm and yanking out Lust's projectile, smashing it in his hand. "I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN WASTE TIME WITH YOU. KEEP YOUR USELESS ASS OUT OF TROUBLE FOR ONCE." He stalked out.

Stretch sank back onto the pile of sheets that had been his bed/chair. Red glared. "What exactly are ya playin' at? What happens between me 'n Boss is none o' yer fuckin' business!"

Stretch crossed his arms. "I'm doing what you should have been doing from the beginning. I'm trying to teach him what is and isn't acceptable behavior. That's what _big brothers_ are _supposed_ to do, Red."

Red growled. "I'll raise my bro however th' FUCK I want!!"

"Nothing will change if you don't-"

"NOTHIN' IS EVER GONNA FUCKIN' CHANGE!!!" Red shouted. "FUCK! _THIS_ is why I hate you assholes comin' here!!! Gettin' in our business, like ya have any fuckin' idea what th' hell yer fuckin' doin'! Cotton Candy pricks, act like ya know goddamn everythin’!! I got my fuckin' reasons fer what I do! An' I do NOT appreciate ya fuckin' around with Boss!!"

Lust stared at him. "Red. He beat you within an inch of your life..."

"AN' HE DID A DAMN GOOD JOB OF IT!!!!" Red snarled.

Lust crossed his arms. "A little bit of masochism is fine, but this is too much, Red! You can't keep letting him-" he stopped. "You're _letting_ him. You're _letting_ him do this."

"No, he's actively encouraging it," Stretch said sorely.

They looked at Red. Red just planted that shit eating grin on his face. "I told ya, I have everythin' under control. Stop fuckin' up my plans."

"That can't be what you want..!" Lust whispered, his voice cracking.

"That. Is exactly. What I want. So back off." Red said, punctuating himself with brief pauses.

"Liar." Stretch countered.

"Ya can't prove anything." Red snorted. "So stop tryin' t' meddle. It's a pain 'n my ass."

* * *

Edge came down the stairs, twitching. He wasn't certain who he was mad at (probably himself, but probably also his brother).

Rus took a hold of Edge's arm, making the angry monster tense. "CAN WE TALK MAYBE??" Rus asked.

Edge clicked his teeth irritably. Why was everyone suddenly wanting to _talk_? "I AM VERY BUSY!! I HAVE NO TIME FOR IDLE CONVERSATION!!"

Rus shifted a little. "I REALIZE THAT. BUT. PERHAPS YOU COULD MAKE A LITTLE TIME??"

Edge eyed him. His first instinct was to blow the other monster off, assuming he didn't kill him. However, something about Rus made Edge pause. There was a sincerity in his voice, his eyes, the way he moved, that was so foreign to Edge it had him thrown off his usual game. He took hold of Rus's humerus and dragged him to the kitchen. "YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES. MAKE THEM COUNT."

Rus grinned. "OK! WELL LETS SEE, WHERE TO START? HOW ABOUT, UM..." He leaned closer, his voice getting slightly lower without losing its enthusiasm. "DO YOU THINK YOUR BROTHER IS HIDING SOMETHING FROM YOU???"

Edge bristled. "YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION."

Rus tapped the knuckles of his gloved hands together nervously. "I HATE TO SUSPECT ANYTHING OF SANS, BUT THE EVIDENCE IS VERY PERSUASIVE... HE AVOIDS TALKING TO ME ABOUT CERTAIN SUBJECTS, HE HAS NIGHTMARES HE DOESN'T TELL ME ABOUT, AND HE IS OTHERWISE VERY UNHEALTHY! HAVE YOU NOTICED ANYTHING LIKE THAT WITH YOUR BROTHER???"

Edge tapped the claw of his index finger against his arm. He would have been an idiot not to notice such signs in his brother. The way he got defensive, they way he constantly antagonized Edge until he went into a blind rage, the days where it got so bad he wouldn't even come out of his room. And the drugs. _Oh, the drugs._ No, Edge was not a fool. He knew there was something wrong. But every time he tried to broach the subject, Sans would pull them into another fight. It was infuriating. "AND IF I HAVE?? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO DO ABOUT IT, WHEN I HAVE YET TO FIND THE ANSWER??"

Rus looked up at him. "MAYBE WE CAN FIND THE ANSWER TOGETHER??? I MEAN, WE ARE BOTH GREAT, SO MAYBE TWO GREAT THINGS WILL MAKE IT EASIER!!"

Edge looked at him. "PERHAPS I CAN MAKE USE OF YOU, IF YOU ARE EVEN A FRACTION AS GREAT AS ME..."

Rus squealed in delight, bringing Edge into a hug. "FRIENDSHIP ESTABLISHED!! NYEH HEH HEH! VICTORY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!"

Edge extricated himself from the clingy monster and left. He still had a report to get from Undyne.

* * *

Despite Lust's attempts at persuading him, Red got out of bed. He had to get them out of here before they warped Boss's mind any further. Making his way downstairs, Red whistled. "Okay, listen up! I'm gonna go get th' parts we need. You lot stay here an' wait. As soon as I get back, we're leavin'!!"

Undyne stood up. "YOU CAN'T GO TO THE DUMP ALONE!! There was an incident last night!!!"

Red stuffed his hands in his pockets, eyes narrowing. "What kinda incident?"

"Gang fight. Between the Dummies and the Temmies, I think."

Red clicked his teeth. "Shit..." He disappeared, only to come back not two minutes later. "Dump was razed. Not a damn thing left t' salvage. That lizard bitch, usin' 'm just t'- FUCKIN' HELL!!" Red kicked the wall. "Let's get outa here. Now. No point stayin'."

"THERE ARE LOTS OF REASONS TO STAY! NOT THAT I CAN NAME ANY OF THEM! FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON!" Rus protested feebly.

"I agree with Rus. There is a very good reason to stay." Stretch crossed his arms.

Slim looked at Stretch with surprise. He smiled softly, chewing on his cigarette. Had to admire determination like that. He stepped back to let this play out.

"I AGREE TOO!" Undyne declared. "There is a whole lot of bullcrap that needs fixed around here, and who better than us to get it done!"

Comic looked at Rus with alarm. "Pap, no, we need to go home! I need to get you HOME! As soon as-"

Rus smiled down at Comic. "IT IS NOT BECOMING OF A ROYAL-GUARD-IN-TRAINING TO ABANDON A FRIEND IN NEED! OR A FRIEND OF A FRIEND! IT IS JUST NOT SOMETHING YOU DO!! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT DO IT!!!"

Dance jumped back to stand next to Slim. He was of the opinion that there was nothing to be done here. That being said, seeing the look of shock on Red's face made him think maybe it would be worth it. If only to see him squirm. So he decided to let the others decide.

Lust clenched his fists. His SOUL cried out that, yes, something needed to be done. He couldn't for the life of him think what that 'something' could be, but he knew that there had to be a better way. A way where Red wasn't letting harm come to himself. So he put on his best smile, hooked his thumbs in his vest pockets, and sat on the TV stand. "The Nays have it, then."

"What the FUCK is WRONG with you guys?!?!?!" Red snarled. "Th' longer yer here, th' worse things are gonna get! Ya got NO IDEA th' shit storm yer goin' into! There ain't no parts, so lets GET THE FUCK OUTA HERE!!!"

"This isn't about parts, Red," Stretch said. "It's about you."

"YES!" Rus agreed. "ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER AND THE BRIDGES BETWEEN YOU THAT NEED RECALIBRATED!!!!!"

Comic rubbed his head. He started laughing. Of course his brother would want to fix Red's problems. How could he expect anything else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah we're staying in Underfell for a little while longer.  
> LET THE REDEMPTION ARC BEGIN!!!
> 
> ~ If you don't remember the significance of the number 84, check back in the last chapter.
> 
> ~ Red is a manipulative bastard with good intentions
> 
> ~ Edge is trying so hard, but without help he is just spinning his wheels
> 
> ~ Stretch has achieved DAD MODE
> 
> ~ Undyne is a nosy little snoop
> 
> ~ AAAAAAAAAHHHH THIS PLOT IS SO FUCKING BAD I'M DYING


	23. Secrets And Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dance fixes something, and the gang gets to see something interesting. Also Edge makes a bold move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

Red glared around the room. He couldn't believe this! He couldn't believe _them_! "Yer all fuckin' serious, ain'tcha?!" He took a deep breath. "Okay, fine. Have it yer way. Go ahead. Just don't come cryin' t' me when ya regret it." With that, he snapped his fingers. He needed a drink.

Stretch sighed. "This isn't going to be easy..."

"SHOULD WE REALLY BE LETTING HIM GO ALONE?? ISN'T HE STILL IN NEED OF REST??" Rus asked.

"I recommend we remain hidden fer a long as possible," Slim said. "Exposing our existence will only cause trouble to Red and Edge."

"Why should we have to-" Undyne started, but clicked her mouth shut. They were in enemy territory, surrounded by EXP happy lunatics. Of course running around half-cocked was a bad idea. And getting into an altercation with the locals would only make their mission harder. She backed down, sitting crossed legged on the floor, pouting. This was not the kind of adventure she had wanted, but she was in it now.

Dance sighed. Settling out of the way, between on the floor beside the couch, opposite the staircase, he made himself comfortable. With nothing else to do, no machine to tinker with and nobody with which he had any real drive to converse, he could at least sleep.

Stretch scratched his maxilla. "That begs the question - what do we do now?"

Comic shook his head. "It's not very _sans_ ible to work without a plan!"

"SANS!" Rus squawked in outrage. "NOT THE TIME!!!"

"Then it only makes _sans_ that we form one now! Any ideas?" Lust crossed his legs, leaning back on the TV stand.

"STOP IT!!!" Rus cried. Undyne rolled her eyes at the skeletons.

"I dunno," Stretch returned, "but _papyrus_ gonna take a guess, I'd say to start with Edge."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Rus sank to his knees, holding his head. "MY WONDERFUL NAME HAS BEEN SULLIED WITH AN AWFUL PUN!!!!!"

Undyne sat their trying not to smack them all for their antics. This was a serious conversation and they should be treating it with more reverence. But, then again, maybe this was the only way they could bring themselves to address heavy issues like this. She looked at the skeletons in the room. It was true they were smiling, but there was a strain in their smiles. Was this just their way of coping with stress?

"That's _paps_ ually a good idea," Slim mused, taking the cigarette from his mouth. "Do ya think he'll be open to it?"

"From what little I've seen, he'll _paps_ olutely respond!" Stretch confirmed without missing a beat.

"So the con _sans_ us is that we focus Edge?" Comic summarized. "What about Red? Won't he be against it?"

Lust smiled. "I'll get Red to under _sans_!" He giggled. That had been a two-for-one! And he meant it. He had to address his own feelings anyway.

Dance stood up, cracking his neck. "And how exactly do you plan on doing any of this, based on nothing but idle conjecture and a few second hand observations?" He sighed. "You'll never change anyone's heart with such weak feelings. You need first hand knowledge of their mindset, their experiences."

"Well, we can't get that without observing them," Stretch pointed out, irritated, "And it's too dangerous to do that at this point."

Dance rolled his eyes. "You're not very creative are ya?" He stood on the couch, peaking out the window. "Can someone run out there and fetch me that broken TV? The one in rolled up in the carpet?"

"What for?" Lust asked, curious.

"What else? To fix it."

* * *

Red landed in the trees behind Grillby's bar. He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment. His pulse was speeding, his SOUL felt like it was twisting into knots. It was like feeling angry. Very, very angry. But also scared. It was unusual. And new. He didn't like it.

Red took a moment to compose himself, straightening his jacket and cracking his knuckles. He had to make it look like everything was normal. Setting his usual scowl in place, Red went in. As the door swung open, he scanned the room. 

Doggo, Dogamy, and Dogaressa were at a table playing cards. Looks like the Greater and Lesser Dogs were working at the moment, or they would have been here too. The two booths were occupied, by the monster with great gnashing teeth, and the Drunk Bunny respectively. The two ugly bird monsters were at the bar proper.

Drunk Bunny pulled his head up from the booth table at the sound of the door. He grinned. "Heya Sansy..!" His voice was threatening. "Here I thought you were gone for good..!"

Red smirked. "You wish." He stuffed his claws in his pockets and walked passed, acting like the furry lush didn't make his nonexistent skin crawl. He took his usual spot at the bar. Grillby eyed him, his indigo flames flickering with curiosity. Red shrugged, knowing just what the elemental was too aloof to ask. "Just slackin' off again. Smoked some dank weed, got smashed, dusted some punks... Th' look on their faces was priceless!" It wasn't a lie. Red found he couldn't outright lie to Grillby. "CHECK me out -- LV 10!" Red felt the familiar prickle across his bones as his SOUL was examined. Grillby nodded. He put down the glass he had been polishing and fetched Red his usual: a bottle of mustard and a bottle of vodka. Red sighed appreciatively as he pieced off them both in turn.

Damn them all. They knew nothing. They understood nothing.

They had no place saying it could change.

* * *

Slim had done the quick run outside to fetch the TV remains (he was the one dressed in a way that blended in best). Dance had taken a shortcut to the basement and borrowed a few tools he didn't have in his pocket, getting right to work. He insisted that the others stay out of the way while he worked. Lust moved off the TV stand and settled on the couch with Slim, watching.

Dance's hands moved swiftly, pushing dislodged wires and cables inside the body of the TV back into place. He had to fiddle around with circuitry that had been smashed into bits. Undyne cringed in embarrassment remembering it was her fault the TV was busted.

Eventually, Dance got the TV working again. Although there were plenty of cracks in the screen, and it flickered between color and monochrome, the picture came up. The last used channel, MTT TV, appeared. The sound was unpredictable, coming in clear one minute and cutting out the next. Dance didn't mind. For his purposes, all they needed was video.

"WOWIE! YOU FIXED IT!!!" Rus exclaimed. "THIS WILL KEEP US ENTERTAINED UNTIL THE GRUMPY ONES COME HO- WHAT IS THAT???"

On the screen were two amalgamates trapped in an otherwise empty arena, screeching at each other in garbled staticky gibberish as they tried to rip each other apart. Rus flinched when a body part was removed from one, blood-like black liquid gushing out of the gaping wound. Undyne turned a sickly shade of green. Slim raised an eyebrow ridge. Comic and Stretch went rigid, tense.

Dance ignored it, although he felt his jaw clench a little tighter.

"BROTHER!!! WHAT IS-?!"

"That's an Amalgamate..." Comic said softly.

Undyne remembered the journal entry, feeling a shiver climb up her back.

Dance pulled out his cell phone, opening the back panel and carefully pulling out some of the wires. Using wires he borrowed from Red's workroom, he connected his phone to the TV. The screen went black.

"What are you doing?" Stretch asked.

"Hacking into the security system. The edgelord said that the Alphys around here had cameras, right?" He fiddled with the wiring a bit more, then turned on his phone. The TV screen came back on, mirroring the tiny screen on his phone. "If we're going to do this, at least do it smart..." _And with fewer risks._ He refused to let them risk everything needlessly. He couldn't afford not to care anymore.

Comic watched. "What gave you this idea?" He asked, a little too innocently.

"I do it all the time at home. Don't you?" Dance answered without looking up. He was pressing buttons at rapid speed.

Comic averted his eyes, his grin tightening. He had snuck into the lab and used the cameras from time to time, but he had been too lazy to rig anything up remotely. Not that he wanted Rus and Undyne to know that.

Stretch smiled with amusement. Comic was much more tight lipped with his brother around. Not that _he_ was one to, heh, _talk_. He wouldn't want his little brother knowing he cheated on his sentry duty.

Rus eyed Comic, but he didn't bother asking. There was no point. His brother would just lie to him again. And Rus would rather let it go than push his brother into lying.

Undyne snickered. "Like punks like you are smart enough to hack anything made by Alph...ys...?" As she spoke, the image changed on the screen, revealing a snowy area with trees. "What the-?"

Dance smirked. "That was easier than I expected. The encryption was sloppy. Someone didn't bother reinforcing it." He pressed a button, changing the image. A guard post, unoccupied.  
_Flip._ A snowy path with a great branch.  
_Flip._ A great fence covered in barbed wire.  
_Flip._ Doggo's post, now empty.  
_Flip._ The snowman's spot.  
_Flip._ Dogamy and Dogaressa's post, now empty.  
_Flip._ Lesser Dog's post, where it was playing with a snowball out of boredom.  
_Flip._ Greater Dog's post, where it was sitting at attention.  
_Flip._ The entrance of the town.  
_Flip._ Further in town. Everyone but Slim, Rus, and Undyne jumped when the sound of footsteps came through the TV.

"Audio??" Stretch asked, confused. "That's new."

"Can't spy too well without Audio," Slim drawled, chuckling.

"Did ya hear?" Came the voice from the TV. "Sans is back!" It was the mouse monster.

"Perfect. Like the Captain isn't bad enough..." Grumbled the Devil Horned monster that always hung around with him.

"It's better than him being gone. The Captain was pretty pissy the last few weeks..."

"He's ALWAYS pissy!"

"There's pissy, and then there's PISSY. Guy beat the shit out of Greater Dog three days ago when he suggested they stop the search."

"Why'd he even wanna find the damn lush? All the idiot does is drink and sleep and smoke. No one even knows how he keeps getting LV. Bet he's secretly a kid killer."

"Not like the captain even cares. He lets the little freak do whatever he wants..."

The voices grew lower and lower as the two monsters came and went.

The room was silent. Rus held himself, going to sit on the couch. Comic sat beside him, rubbing his humerus soothingly. Undyne punched the floor. Stretch ground his teeth.

Dance flipped the channel. He skipped rapidly through the rest of the Snowdin footage, interior and exterior views, going into Waterfall. The glowing mushrooms shown a pale purple instead of the florescent blue. There were pointedly fewer Echo Flowers. Dance was about to switch again when there was movement on the screen.

"It's Edge!" Stretch observed.

On screen, Edge approached a house Undyne swore looked just like hers. He pounded angrily on the door three times, crossing his arm, tapping his one foot impatiently. Soon the door opened.

"Captain!" 'Undyne' acknowledged, saluting. She was in cargo pants and a tank top, although in much darker colors than the Undyne in the livingroom. Her scales were dull, dusty, her arms were littered with scars and raw unprotected skin where the scales had been forced off, unable to regrow yet. The fins on the side of her head were speckled with holes. There were three long gashes around her good eye. Still, she stood proud, the sparkle of defiance, of strength, of determination, still visible in her every motion. She held her salute for a moment, then stepped to the side, letting Edge come in.

The door closed.

Stretch put a hand on Dance's shoulder. "Think there's a camera in there?"

Dance flipped the channel. Sure enough, there was the visual of the inside of 'Undyne's house.

The room was much the same in design as the one Rus knew. However, there were a few disheartening differences. For one, the colors were off. The tile was black and white, with a few red stains here and there, the carpets a darker purple, the wallpaper solid black. Second, there were far more tools of war littered about the room: swords; spears; tridents; bits of armor that had been discarded without care (much of it damaged). There was no piano - in it's place was a weight lifting machine.

The Undyne on the screen saluted Edge again, then turned back to the table. Sitting down, she resumed working on the report. "Almost finished, Captain." She said evenly. Her voice sounded tired.

Edge leaned against the wall, clicking his teeth. His body seemed to relax slightly. He eyed the scaleless spots on his Second-In-Command's arms. There were nearly indiscernible singe marks on the edges of the surrounding scales. His eye lights narrowed. "MAD DUMMY??"

The Undyne on the screen paused in her work. "Yeah." Her voice was bitter and full of suppressed anger. The pencil snapped in her hand, the pieces clattering onto the wood. There was a prolonged silence where the Undyne on the screen ground her razor teeth. "Where were you?!"

Edge didn't answer right away. "I HAVE MANY RESPONSIBILITIES, NONE OF WHICH INCLUDE PICKING UP YOUR SLACK!! WATERFALL IS _YOUR_ ASSIGNMENT!"

The Undyne on the screen stood up, a spear appearing in her hand, ready to throw. Her hand stilled in mid motion, looking at Edge. Edge hadn't moved, his body relaxed. Undyne's arm shook, her face hard. Then she slammed the point of the spear into the floor by her feet.

Edge grunted, pulling away from the wall and picking up some of the papers that had been blown off the floor when Undyne moved. He eyed them. "BOB REACHED LV 12?"

"Yes."

"WHAT IS MAD DUMMY AT NOW??"

"13."

Edge frowned. "ARE THEY IN CUSTODY??"

"No."

Edges claws contracted inward, crumpling the paper into a tight wad. "WHY THE HELL NOT?!"

Undyne grit her teeth. "They paid their bail!"

"WHY WERE THEY NOT EXECUTED?!"

"YOU WEREN'T FUCKING HERE TO GIVE THE ORDER!!!!"

Edge took a deep breath, trying to keep his temper even. "NEXT TIME THEY ACT UP, EXECUTE THEM. THEY ARE NOW BLACKLISTED."

"WHY?!"

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME, BITCH?!?!"

"HELL YEAH I'M QUESTIONING YOU, JACKASS!!!" Undyne lunged at him. Edge sidestepped, smashing his elbow into her abdomen, knocking the wind from her. Undyne skidded back, staying on her feet as she coughed.

Edge shifted his stance, turning slightly to the side, poised gracefully and dangerously on one foot with the other braced on the wall. Undyne caught her breath, eyes glinting. She lunged again, making a right hook. Edge pushed off the wall, diving under the strike and punching her in the ribs as he passed. As she fell to a knee, he got up, back now against the window to the left of the door. Undyne howled and jumped at him, sending them both through the window and outside.

Dance quickly shifted the feed back to the camera from before.

The Undyne on the screen slugged Edge twice in the face. He kicked her off, sending her flying into the practice dummy a few feet away. The dummy snapped at the impact. Undyne shot to her feet, keeping her eyes on her opponent. Edge gripped his jaw as he walked forward, pushing the dislocated joint back into place with an audible crack, eyes flaring red.

They were both smiling.

Undyne summoned a massive array of spears over her head. "NGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" The glowing weapons rained down on Edge from all sides at once. Edge summoned a wall of bones to block them, moving them along with him as he rushed forward with terrifying speed. He jumped in the air, bringing down his jagged claws on Undyne's face. Undyne grabbed his wrist. They struggled for dominance, Undyne taking the opportunity to make a swing with her other hand. Edge caught her fist squarely in his palm, gripping hard. He began to push, making Undyne slide back in the dirt.

All the while, their magics clashed above them, the sound deafening as bone and spear collided.

Undyne suddenly lurched her head forward, sinking her teeth into Edge's right arm, around the radius and ulna. Blood seeped from between her fangs. There was a loud snap. Edge cursed loudly, his right arm pulling back from trying to scratch at her face. He pulled to the side, yanking Undyne forward and head-butting her in the face. One of her teeth went flying.

Both monsters magic dissipated. They were both covered in a layer of sweat.

Undyne wrapped her other arm around Edge's neck, clutching at the back of his skull. "You only broke one rib. I thought you had better skills than that, Captain..." Her words were soft, breathy.

"I AM SKILLED IN EVERYTHING." Edge growled back.

"Prove it."

They kissed. Passionately. Angrily. Roughly. Edge dropped Undyne's fist and wrapped his good arm around her waist, reaching over to grip his broken arm and readjusted the bones back to their proper place. There was a brief flash of red healing magic, then Edge had both arms clutching at Undyne's back. Undyne stood up on the balls of her feet, both arms wrapped around Edge now. Her head fins wiggled appreciatively at whatever Edge was doing with his tongue now in her mouth.

They broke away from each other, Undyne catching her breath. "I-I take it you found him, then..."

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH-"

"Because that's the only reason you ever get worked up," She interrupted, smirking. "My Captain is the best at everything, after all..." She licked at the bit of her blood that had dripped onto his mandible. "Including being a brother..." Edge grit his teeth. Undyne shook her head. "Yeah, I know..."

"DELIVER THE REPORT WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH IT."

"If you'd wait just 10 minutes-"

"TO MY HOME." He emphasized.

Undyne stopped, nodding. "Yes, sir."

Edge pulled away, turning to leave. Undyne pulled him back, bringing him into another kiss. Edge gave her an exasperated look. "BITCH!! SHOW RESPECT FOR YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER!!"

Undyne smirked. "I have nothing but respect for My Captain."

"LIE TO ME AGAIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS."

Undyne just grinned wider.

"AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT DAMN LIZARD OF YOURS!!" Edge commanded. "SKANK KEEPS SNEAKING CAMERAS INTO MY HOUSE!!!"

"She is not _'my lizard'_!! I don't even LIKE her!! She's just occasionally useful!!"

"AND YET YOU KEEP GOING TO SEE HER."

"Because you refuse to do the Hotland inspections, and her Lab is literally RIGHT THERE!!" She sighed. "You know damn well I'd never, _ever_ betray you, Papyrus..."

Edge was silent. Then he pulled Undyne back into him, instigating one last kiss. Undyne took the chance to wrap her hand over his injured arm and snap it in half. Edge yelped in surprise and pain, glaring at her. "BITCH! GIVE ME SOME WARNING!!"

Undyne rolled her eyes. "Like it really bothers you!"

"I WILL BLUE YOU FACE-FIRST INTO THE DIRT!!!"

"Don't threaten me with a good time!"

"NYEH!" Edge pulled away, heading out.

Rus stared at the TV, even after Edge had left the field of view and Undyne had closed the door behind her. "THAT WAS- WAS-" He looked at the Undyne sitting on the floor in the livingroom. "WHAT WAS THAT???"

Undyne couldn't find the words, her scales shining a brilliant pink.

"You two don't..?" Comic asked.

"NO!!!" Undyne screamed defensively. "STARS, NO!!! HELL NO!!!"

Slim grinned. "That took an unexpected turn..."

Lust's smiled wide. That had been an interesting show.

Stretch scratched at his jaw, thoughtful. "I thought he hated her..."

Slim chewed his cigarette. This insinuated possibilities involving his own brother that he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. He would have to investigate when he got home.

Dance followed Edge's movements. Edge let his bleeding arm hang down at his side, where everyone could see. The teeth marks in his black underclothes were also obvious. A few mutters of "Another fight with Undyne..." drifted through the speakers.

Edge was putting on a show.

But it wasn't just for the cameras.

Edge was just leaving Waterfall when the footage cut out completely. Dance tried flipping channels. Nothing. He clicked his teeth, fumbling with his phone. "Oh..."

"WHAT IS WRONG??" Rus asked.

"Uh.... maybe it's nothing..." Dance smiled. "Just some technical problems..."

"Did your battery die?" Comic asked, looking over.

"No..." Dance said slowly. He kept fiddling with it. Then the screen lit up. Shaky glowing text typed itself out:

**_I SEE YOU_ **

Dance bristled with alarm, ripping the battery out. The screen went dark again.

Comic was about to ask what was wrong when the front door opened and Edge came in, looking proud and regal and a bit bloody. A few drops splattered on the floor as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"Welcome back, Edge," Stretch greeted with a grin.

Edge glared at the room. He saw the TV, raising an eyebrow ridge. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???"

"A TV." Dance replied shortly, tinkering with his phone, getting it back into working condition.

"I KNOW THAT!!! WHY IS IT IN MY HOUSE!?!?"

"Got bored. Fixed it."

"YOU WHAT????"

"I fixed it."

Edge shifted his jaw from side to side, eyeing Dance. "SKILLS LIKE THAT COULD PROVE USEFUL..." he thought aloud. Gripping his arm, he headed upstairs, trailing blood along the floor in his wake.

"I'll help with that!" Lust offered, standing up. Edge sneered at the smaller skeleton. Lust smiled. "I promise, it'll feel really good!"

"KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF OR I'LL RIP THEM OFF!!" Edge snapped. going up to his room. He slammed the door behind him.

"Rejected." Slim snickered.

"WILL HE BE ALRIGHT??" Rus asked nervously.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Comic reassured him.

"He might have something besides his arm to take care of..." Lust giggled.

"LIKE WHAT??" Rus asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Comic answered quickly, shooting Lust a dirty look. He signed, { _Not in front of my bro!_ }

Lust looked away, still grinning.

* * *

Edge came back down in about an hour, arm patched up and fresh unripped black underclothes on. His timing couldn't have been more perfect, as right as he hit the first floor landing, the front door trembled under three sharp strikes from the outside.

Comic jumped at the noise, dropping the playing cards he had found in the TV stand drawer. Stretch almost dropped his, but scrambled quickly enough to catch them. Rus cringed a bit, but was otherwise unfazed (he was so used to Undyne's loudness it didn't bother him so much), reexamining the cards in his hand. Undyne made her play, eyeing the door warily. Dance, who had been asleep next to the couch, sprung to his feet in a cold sweat. Slim, who had opted to stay on the couch instead of play on the floor, just lit a new smoke as Edge passed in front of him to answer the door. Lust, also on the couch, opened one eye, grinning.

The pounding repeated itself as Edge reached for the doorknob. "BREAK MY DOOR AGAIN AND I'LL RIP YOU IN HALF!!!" He yanked it open. "GET IN!"

The Undyne from this universe took off her helmet and carefully ducked inside. She was outfitted in full armor, a briefcase tied to her hip with leather cords. "What was so important that you insisted I come over h-" She stopped, looking at the livingroom. She couldn't quite see anyone's face, and she didn't recognize the clothing. She did a routine room scan, CHECKing the group before her:

Comic...

> ***** SANS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** The easiest enemy  
>  ***** Can only deal 1 damage

Stretch...

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** The easiest enemy  
>  ***** Can only deal 1 damage

Rus...

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 1 HP 100% – 8 ATK 2 DEF  
>  ***** Likes to say "NYEH HEH HEH!"  
>  ***** Feeling hopeful.

Undyne...

> ***** UNDYNE – LV 3 HP 100% – 50 ATK 20 DEF  
>  ***** Captain of the Royal Guard  
>  ***** The heroine that NEVER gives up.

Slim...

> ***** PAPYRUS – LV 9 HP 100% – 16 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** A Loyal Guard Dog  
>  *****

Lust...

> ***** SANS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** The easiest  
>  *****

Dance...

> ***** SANS – LV 1 HP 100% – 1 ATK 1 DEF  
>  ***** Prefers Hip Hop and Beatbox  
>  ***** The easiest dance partner

The armored Undyne dropped her helmet. "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

"EXACTLY." Edge said, crossing his arms.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!"

"EXACTLY."

"HOW DID THIS EVEN-?!"

"SANS."

The armored Undyne snapped her teeth shut. "Of course, _Sans_. It's always Sans."

"WE CAN USE THIS," Edge insisted. "THAT LAZY SHIT HAS GIVEN US A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY. WE WOULD BE FOOLS TO PASS IT UP!"

"How exactly is a bunch of clones going to help?!"

"ACTUALLY, MISS GRUMPY UNDYNE, WE ARE FROM ALTERNATE REALITIES!! NOT CLONES!!! NICE TO MEET YOU, BY THE WAY!!" Rus, who had had his back to the new guest, turned and waved.

The armored Undyne went pale, her face scrunching up in an uncontrollable flood of emotions, none of which she was conditioned to deal with.

"THIS IS WHY YOU HAD TO SEE IT." Edge pointed out. "NOT SOMETHING ONE WOULD BELIEVE THROUGH WORDS, IS IT?"

The armored Undyne swallowed. "This is just FreEXP, Captain! Only one of them is worth using!"

Edge smirked. "LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. I TOO WAS FOOLED BY THEIR LV. HOWEVER, IF SEEMS THAT POWER IN THESE OTHER UNIVERSES IS NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENTED IN LV ALONE. AND, IF THEY CANNOT KEEP UP, WE LOSE NOTHING. AT WORST, THEY WILL PROVIDE THE OPENING WE NEED TO FINISH."

The armored Undyne mulled this over. "It would move up our timetable if..."

"PRECISELY!!"

"Uh, what exactly are you talking about?" The Undyne playing cards asked.

Edge grinned. "YOU ARE GOING TO REPAY ME FOR THE INCONVENIENCE YOU HAVE CAUSED."

"How?" Comic asked.

"WAR."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ ALL THE SHIPS!!! ALL THE FUCKING SHIPS!!!!! Angry Edge-dyne!! WOOOOH!!! XD
> 
> ~ We also know why Edge didn't go full-on death machine when he heard Undyne in his livingroom
> 
> ~ Edge is a jealous boyfriend who quickly gets the wrong idea. Just one of the many reasons he hates Alphys.
> 
> ~ So now we know what Edge meant when he said could 'make use of' them
> 
> ~ Meanwhile Red is getting hammered because he gives no fucks


	24. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the group goes to war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to [this amazing remix of MEGALOVANIA](https://soundcloud.com/jzag96/underfell-megalovania-without-sans-voice) while I wrote this.

The room went silent. The group stared without comprehension at Edge and the armored Undyne.

"You can't be serious..." Stretch coughed out.

"I AM VERY SERIOUS." Edge returned.

"Against what, exactly?" the Undyne on the floor asked incredulously.

"Who else? Asgore..!" The armored Undyne snarled. "We'll grind his ass into dust!!"

"WHY??" Rus asked, timidly. "WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO JUST TALK OUT YOUR PROBLEMS?? I'M SURE IF YOU ASKED HIM NICELY THAT-"

"THE TIME FOR TALK IS OVER." Edge interrupted, gripping the armored Undyne's shoulder before she could go off on one of her violent tirades. "LONG. OVER. NOW IT IS TIME TO ACT."

"We'll have no part in this," Comic said, taking his brother's arm. "None."

Stretch stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm not really the fighting type..."

"Me neither," Lust said softly. "But I'll do what I can."

"W-what?!" Dance gapped.

"I'm not saying I'll kill anyone," Lust corrected. "But I'll fight..." He felt his SOUL twist. He could hardly believe himself. Was he this desperate to make Red's life even a little bit better?

"I'm in," Slim drawled. Maybe he could gain some more EXP. Then he would be more useful to his brother. "Might be fun."

"Neither of you are doing any such thing!!" Dance hissed. "What happens if you get hit?! Where does that leave the rest of us?!"

"Dance is right. None of us are going to take part in this," Comic said firmly.

"I'm in!" Undyne said, standing up.

"UNDYNE!!! VIOLENCE IS NOT THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING!! I'M SURE THERE IS A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO- UH- TO WHATEVER GRIEVANCE IS CURRENTLY BEING- UH- GRIEVED!!"

"We stayed here to help Red, didn't we?? What better way than this?" Lust said.

The armored Undyne leaned close to Edge. "...'Red'?"

"IT'S WHAT THEY CALL SANS," Edge whispered. "THEY ALL HAVE RIDICULOUS NICKNAMES."

"The risk is too great!" Dance growled.

"If you're so worried, why not help?" Lust countered.

"It isn't our fight!" Dance was standing now, facing Lust with an air of hostility. "So back off!"

"Or what?"

"Or **y o u r g o n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e**." Dance's eye lights went black. He wasn't playing around. He couldn't afford not to care.

Lust grinned, although it was tinged with something darker. His own eye lights dimmed. "Really? Because I'm sure the only thing _I'm_ going to have is a **g o o d t i m e**." He was beginning to become irritated with Dance's attitude. Didn't he see how important this was? 

Comic put his cards on the floor, pulling Rus back and out of the way as the two skeletons faced each other in the middle of the livingroom. Undyne scrambled to her feet, surprised and a little alarmed. She had never seen that kind of look on something that looked like Sans before (Red was different enough that in her mind he didn't count). "What is-?!"

Stretch pulled her back a bit. "Just let them be."

The armored Undyne crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"TOLD YOU," Edge said.

Dance rolled his shoulders. "See reason, or I'll _beat_ it into you."

"You'll be the one getting beaten, if it _comes_ to that, darling."

The two monsters stared each other down.

"We have no business interfering in The Script here, Lust," Dance growled. "Our one and only priority is getting ourselves home. Nothing. Else. Matters."

"The Script will work itself out. It always does. So stop worrying so much about it!" Lust said, fixing the fingerless black glove on his left hand. "Besides, how bad can Asgore be compared to what we've been through? A drop in the bucket, isn't it?"

"If this was even a real solution, which I doubt, don't you think Red woulda done it by now?"

"Maybe he didn't think of it," Lust argued.

"He's dumb, but he isn't that dumb," Dance countered. "If it's so bad here that the Royal Guard is considering a coup, then he sure as hell thought of it too."

"He might not have thought he could win," Lust retorted.

"What makes you think you can?!"

"I don't think _I_ can, I think _we_ can." Lust emphasized.

"Why should _we_ bother trying to meddle in the affairs of this universe?!"

"It'll make them happy!"

"And I should care, why?"

"Aren't we friends?!"

Dance went quiet for a moment. " _If we really are friends..._ " he murmured to himself. "If we're friends, then don't do this. If anything happens to any of you, I won't be able to go home... Don't you understand?! If even ONE of us is missing, NONE of us can go home!! What about YOUR brother, Lust?! Are you even thinking about him?! Oh, wait, you don't have to! Because your universe hasn't been plagued by a human!! It's a party every goddamn day in your world, so of COURSE you have no worries!! You irresponsible frat boy!"

Lust ground his teeth. "Don't you DARE bring Pap into this! Don't you DARE presume to-"

"Lets put it to a vote." Stretch interrupted. "FIGHT or don't FIGHT. No matter what the outcome, we all go in together. Sound fair?" Lust thought about it, then nodded. Dance ground his teeth, but also nodded. Stretch sighed. "Good. Now. If your vote is to FIGHT, raise your hand."

Lust raised his hand.  
Slim raised his hand.  
Comic did not.  
Dance did not.  
Undyne raised her hand.  
Rus did not.

Stretch sighed. "Geeze... I hate being the tie breaker..." He scratched at his maxilla, thinking. On the one hand, he was a lazy person, and war was quite a lot of work. On the other, it might be the catalyst that helped Edge and Red come together (Red did seem to like fighting). Then again, someone could get hurt, but this universe was filled with people getting hurt anyway. Still, it was a risky plan. He couldn't be sure, but if Edge was LV 16, just how strong was the King? 18? 19? 20? But then again, they had faced that human and come out on top. And now there were even more of them. But there had been only one human, and Asgore might have allies... But Asgore could not RESET. But who was he to judge if Asgore lived or died? Oh, thats right, The Judge.

Stretch sighed, looking at Edge. "I'll vote 'yes' if you agree to a few conditions."

Edge opened his mouth to scream something vulgar, mostly about how Stretch was a lowly cretan and how dare he not be delighted at the prospect of settling a debt with the Great and Terrible Papyrus, but stopped himself. Taking a deep breath, Edge crossed his arms. "YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION."

Stretch stuffed his hand back in his pocket. "One: You pay us for the trouble. Not in gold or anything. All we want are a few machine parts. Alphys likely has them."

Edge twitched at the lizard monster's name, but nodded curtly. "WHAT ELSE?"

Stretch looked over at Rus. "Two: You leave out Rus here from your plans, as per Comic's obvious preferences."

Rus squared his shoulders. "NO! IF YOU ARE GOING TO FIGHT THEN I MUST ALSO-"

"Yes, leave my bro out of it," Comic interjected quickly. "All the way out of it." Undyne nodded approvingly. She didn't want her friend getting hurt.

"FINE." Edge waved his hand dismissively.

"NOO!!! I MUST HELP!!"

Comic pulled Rus's arm to make the taller monster look at him. "Listen to me, Pap. You aren't ready for something big like this. I don't want you getting hurt!"

"YOU ARE THE ONE MOST LIKELY TO GET HURT, BROTHER!!"

"I'll be alright."

"YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT!!"

"And so far I've been right, haven't I?"

"...YES..."

"There ya go."

Stretch cleared his nonexistent throat. "Three: You let us help with the battle plan."

Edge scowled. "DO YOU DARE QUESTION MY BRILLIANT STRATEGIC CAPABILITIES?!?!" His body moved forward threateningly, a bone materializing in his right hand.

Stretch grinned, not flinching. "Not at all. But we might have something up our collective sleeves that you didn't count on."

Edge clutched at the magical attack in his hand so hard it broke and crumbled to pieces. He glared into Stretch's face as he pondered the options before him. Finally, he stood back, rolling his neck with a satisfying crack. "VERY WELL. IT IS AGREED." He snatched at the briefcase at his Undyne's hip, pulling out the report and going upstairs. He came back down with a large bit of rolled up paper. It was a copy of the map of the underground. He used BLUE magic to bring the table with the pet rock into the middle of the room, laying the map out and using the rock as a paperweight. "ASGORE'S FOLLOWERS ARE PRIMARILY IN HOTLAND," he pointed. "MUFFET, METTATON, ALPHYS, AND THE ROYAL GUARD STATIONED THERE, INCLUDING RG 01 AND 02, NUMEROUS KNIGHT KNIGHTS, AND A STRING OF OTHER MONSTERS."

"So we can't ask Alphys for help, then..." The lighter Undyne sighed, looking at the map. "There goes my idea."

"THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS GETTING OUR ALLIES INTO NEW HOME WITHOUT CAUSING A SCENE," Edge continued. "THE BEST OPTION IS TO WAIT FOR A CEREMONY OR EXECUTION, WHERE LARGE GROUPS WILL BLEND IN."

"I'd say take a shortcut," Slim drawled. "If it's anything like what my world's New Home is like, then the Hall is usually empty. It will put you right at Asgore's door."

"IF THERE WERE A SHORTCUT TO THE GREAT HALL I WOULD HAVE FOUND IT BY NOW!!" Edge snapped.

Slim raised an eyebrow. "Does your brother not use shortcuts around you?"

"HE CUTS CORNERS ALL THE TIME!!!" Edge snapped again, becoming agitated. "STOP CHANGING THE SUBJECT!!"

Dance sighed. "Look at me." Edge raised an eyebrow. The darker Undyne eyed the smaller skeleton. Dance made sure he had their full attention, then snapped his fingers. He was gone. Edge and Undyne both bristled in alarm. "Behind you," Dance said. They turned. There he was, leaning against the wall, hands in his hoodie pockets. "Get it, now? This is a 'shortcut'."

Edge collected himself. "TELEPORTATION???"

"Can all of you do that?!" The darker Undyne asked softly.

"Yup," Stretch grinned. "I thought as much. You didn't know."

Edge ground his teeth. The smarmy orange one meant that he _should_ have known. Meaning this was a power that his own brother likely had. The idea that his brother had hidden this incredibly useful ability from him drove him mad. Edge dug his claws into the wood of the table. This was not the time to get angry. He thought fast. "WHAT IS THE RANGE?"

"Anywhere in the underground, provided we'd been there before," Slim answered.

"Doesn't take us passed the barrier, though," Comic sighed. "Trust me, I tried."

Edge clicked his teeth. "CAN YOU TAKE PASSENGERS??"

"Yup." Stretch responded.

"But the more we take, the harder it is," Slim interjected. "My limit is 5."

"Never tried taking more than 1 or 2," Comic admitted.

"Same," Dance and Lust said at the same time.

Edge shifted his jaw as he thought. "HAS ANYONE BEEN TO THE GRAND HALL?"

"We all have," Stretch said.

"Unfortunately..." Dance muttered.

"EXCELLENT!! THEN WE HAVE NO NEED TO WAIT!!" Edge pressed his index claw onto the map over the Grand Hall. "WE MOVE AT DUSK. I NEED ONLY GATHER THE CANINE UNIT FOR DEPART-"

"That won't be necessary," Slim cut him off, which made Edge growl. "We'll be enough. Ain't that right, guys?" Comic shifted uncomfortably, his smile getting tighter. Dance tapped his foot, but he kept his mouth shut.

"The dogs would only get in the way, I think..." Stretch thought out loud.

"You say that, but you're LV says you're a FreEXP punk!" The darker Undyne said snidely.

"I think little miss Vengeance needs a demonstration," Slim snickered.

"What?" The darker Undyne blinked.

"I think the name suits you!" Lust smiled. "You look like a 'Vengeance'. Besides, we can't keep calling you 'Undyne'. It's too confusing."

Edge snickered. Vengeance gave him a dirty look. "And what's so damn funny, asshole?!"

"THE WHORE HAS A POINT. CODE NAMES IN THIS CASE ARE ESSENTIAL."

"Hey, does that mean I get a codename too??" The lighter Undyne asked, almost excitedly. "Make it AWESOME!!" Vengeance gave her a look. "What? You wanna keep calling me 'Undyne'? Don't you think that'll get weird?"

"I'd say, if she's Vengeance, then you're Justice," Lust mused, grinning.

Justice smirked. "I like it."

Introductions went by swiftly, until:

"And we call him 'Edge'," Stretch said, pointing at Edge. "For obvious reasons."

Vengeance looked at Edge, suppressing a grin as she held down her snickering.

"YOU WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS ME AS CAPTAIN OR SIR, BITCH!!" Edge growled.

"Yes, Captain," Vengeance snickered. "Whatever you say."

"NOW, BACK TO THE ISSUE AT HAND," Edge looked back at the others. "YOU SAY THE CANINE UNIT IS UNNECESSARY? WOULD YOU STILL BE SO CONFIDENT KNOWING THAT THE KING IS LV 20??"

Slim shrugged. "Even more, I think."

"Prove it," Vengeance snapped. "One of you, fight me!"

"Nope." Dance said flatly. "That'll just waste energy better spent in the real thing. Take our help or leave it. Remember, half of us don't even want to do this."

Vengeance opened her mouth, but Edge clasped her on the shoulder. "LET THEM BE. HE IS RIGHT. FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES IS A WASTE." Vengeance went to argue, but he cut her off again. "SAVE IT FOR ASGORE."

* * *

Red realized it was getting late. The light from the front window was outmatched by the light of the bartender. Furthermore, he was surrounded by empty mustard bottles. He was pleased to see only a scant few empty bottles of vodka (he had kept himself in check rather well, considering how many feelings he had come in here to drown). But now it was time to get back. The others must have realized how foolish it was to stay by now. They could leave. The dust would settle. Everything would go back to zero again. Just like a RESET. Hell, maybe he'd get lucky and there would be a real one! He never thought he would actually be asking for a RESET.

Pushing himself carefully away from the bar, Red got to his feet and made his shaky way to the door. The Drunk Bunny glared daggers at him. Red didn't care. Punk could go die in a ditch. Nobody even wanted EXP from trash like that.

Outside, the chilling winter wind sobered Red right back up. It was a curse and a blessing, living in Snowdin. Red pulled his hood up, shivering. Why should skeletons get cold? That hardly seemed fair. Just one more thing that Red had to complain about as he marched back home.

Opening the door, Red was greeted by a nearly-empty room and a half-broken television. Rus was sitting on the couch, fidgeting nervously.

"Where is everyone?" Red asked, closing the door.

"OH!! WELCOME HOME, GRUMPY BROTHER!!!" Rus beamed. "I'M SO GLAD YOU'VE RETURNED!! I WAS GETTING VERY BORED BEING ALONE... ALSO WORRIED... FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER."

Red eyed him. "Where are th' others, beanpole?"

Rus shifted uncomfortably under Red's scrutinizing gaze. "UH... NOT HERE..?" Rus smiled less than innocently. His eye lights darted from one side to another. His skull beaded with a thin layer of sweat. He looked so guilty it was painful.

Red took a deep breath. "I get that. What I'm askin' is where they ARE."

Rus twiddled his thumbs. "UH.... I MEAN... EXERCISING...?"

"Answer th' damn question!!" Red snarled.

"THEY WENT TO SEE THE KING!!" Rus squeaked.

Red's eye lights went out. "Oh, no... No no no... no no..!" He clutched at his chest, fighting down a panic attack. "Oh shit- shit-!!!" Red fell back into the wall, eye flickering like crazy.

Rus stood up, taking hold of Red's shoulders. "What's wrong???"

Red snapped his fingers, not even caring that Rus was dragged with him.

He had to get there in time.

He wasn't going to let it happen again.

* * *

Stretch let go of Edge as they stepped into the golden light of the Hall of Judgement. Edge blinked, adjusting his sight to the much brighter area. The trip here, though brief, had been disorienting and left him feeling dizzy. He left go of Vengeance's wrist. Comic let go of Justice, who put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself while she cleared her head.

There was the sound of footsteps from up ahead. Everyone turned. First came RG 01 and RG 02, shining in their obsidian armor, swords waving maliciously in sync.

Behind them came the King.

Asgore, in nearly every universe, was a large monster, standing a head taller than Edge, with broad muscular shoulders. While the Asgore that Comic and Justice knew always pulled his body inward, trying to make himself as small and harmless looking as possible, this Asgore stood proudly at his full height, chest out to better display his imposing frame. His golden plated armor shone brilliantly in the false sunlight of dusk that streamed through the stain glass windows. His thick curved horns held in place a golden crown (accented with a blood red jewel) which would be sizable on anyone else, but looked tastefully small upon his great head. As he walked, his dark purple cape billowed behind him. His once snow-white fur was now stained a dull grey that might never be cleaned. The sharp tap of the King's Trident on the marble floor punctuated each step, making a contrast to the deep thump of his bare footpads. As the monarch surveyed his audience, his golden blond beard and mane whipping with the force of his head's motions, his glowing red eyes pierced through them, calling up CHECKs as though it were second nature. His thick fingered claws shifted thoughtfully on the handle of his weapon.

Edge did a CHECK out of sheer habit:

> ***** ASGORE – LV 20 HP 100% – 210 ATK 30 DEF  
>  ***** The King of All Monsters  
>  ***** Knows no MERCY

Edge clenched his teeth, claws flexing as he set his stance. As confident as he was, those were not numbers to take lightly. Vengeance snarled, summoning her main spear and clutching it in her hands as she trembled with years of suppressed (or nearly suppressed) rage.

Justice felt her blood run cold. This was not the Asgore who had practically raised her, who had taught her to fight. This was something else, a bastardization of the king she loved and admired and respected with the deepest fathoms of her SOUL. This was an abomination that had to be eradicated. This was a black stain on the noble Dreemurr name that she would not tolerate to exist any longer. She summoned her own weapon, her pulse speeding up as adrenaline threatened to overwhelm what little rational thought she still clung to.

Asgore smirked, finishing his CHECKs. "Papyrus... I was not expecting you." His deep, noble voice was tinged with something twisted and dark. "Certainly not with such... _weak_ reinforcements. Although I must admit it is quite the unusual army you have here. Is this truly the best you could manage?"

Edge summoned a swarm of jagged bones, the force of the magic invested in them making the air swirl upwards, causing his scarf to sway and twirl and thrash behind him like a streamer. He did not bother to respond. There were no words left.

Comic pulled up his own, more detailed CHECK:

> "Asgore Dreemurr"  
> ---  
> LV 20  
> HP 50000 / 50000  
> AT 200 (10) | EXP: 99999  
> DF 120 (10)  | NEXT: 0  
> WEAPON: King's Trident  
> ARMOR: Royal Armor  
> GOLD: 0 | KILLED: 237  
  
Comic, Stretch, Slim, Dance, and Lust all lost their eye lights at once. None of them had ever seen a KILL number as high as this. Every speck of dust in their bodies screamed out for the loss. There was no longer any hesitation in any of them. _It was time for **J u d g e m e n t**_ **.**

Asgore chuckled, gripping his weapon in both hands. "I knew you would come eventually. I had hoped it would be more impressive. So as to make a larger impact. But I suppose I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Still, it was nice to see you again." He smashed his trident into the floor, cracking the tiles all around him and creating a shockwave that blew his cape violently behind him. " **G O O D B Y E !** "

As one, Edge and Asgore rushed to the center of the hall, pushing off the ground with enough force to leave cracked imprints in the stone of the floor. Edge's bones shot down on the Goat-Dragon monster, who parried them by spinning his trident. The King's eyes glinted red-orange and sky-blue for the briefest of moments, then he swiped at the skeleton viciously, savagely, with enough force that, while Edge dodged the attack proper, he was blown back by the shockwave and sent smashing into a pillar with a sickening crunch. The pillar cracked, almost coming down on him and crushing him, but Edge rolled out of the way and back onto his feet.

Vengeance lunched for the King, her war cry echoing off the marble as a swarm of spears rained down from overhead. Asgore knocked them away with the air pressure of his swing, sending Vengeance smashing into a pillar just like Edge.

Slim ran forward, forming his bone saw as his eyes burned orange-red, swiping at the air in front of him to more quickly adjust to his new center of gravity. He jumped up into the air, going to bring his saw down hard upon the King, but RG 01 dashed in front of him, parrying his attack. Slim pressed down on the interrupting monster, but was thrown back, skidding across the floor. He lunged again, aiming for the black knight. Might as well get the small fry out of the way.

Dance laid down the bass beat, making the steps to intercept RG 02 before he could interfere with Slim's fight. Skidding into position, he engaged the knight, tapping his foot to the beat that the much larger warrior didn't seem to notice. He could do this much at least. Keeping a guy like this occupied was well within his range of capabilities.

Stretch summoned his wall of white and red bones, sending them careening into Asgore. The King broke trough the wave with his weapon, smug, only to be set upon by Edge. The two monsters locked weapons, Edge's long jagged femur making sparks against the king's trident. The air crackled as LV was set against LV, the pressure of the colliding magics making the floor crumble in its wake. Edge broke the exchange, jumping back before Asgore could strike. Comic took the opportunity to smash a bone pattern down on the king, who broke it into pieces before it could touch him.

Lust, meanwhile had positioned himself behind the king. When the moment was right, he threw four small dagger bones at the monster, aiming for the joints of his armor. The king must have heard the faint whistling as the attack flew through the air, because he moved enough to make them bounce off his armor harmlessly. Lust had to move again before he was targeted.

Justice took the chance to strike. She cast GREEN on the King, then honed in on him from all sides in her fastest pattern of spears. The king blocked each attack, getting more and more irritated. With a snarl, he hurled a great wave of fire onto Justice, knocking her back into the wall and burning her. She slid to the floor, trembling with her attempts to stand, her HP dangerously low.

Lust raced to her side to assist.

Vengeance finally got back up, casting her own wave of GREEN magic on the king. She assaulted him with a seamless barrage of spears, none of which found their mark. Asgore used his fire to incinerate the projectiles whenever they got too close. He also sent a large fireball at Vengeance, who didn't quite get out of the way in time. Her armor was destroyed. She was sent skipping across the floor like a rag doll. However, she held her GREEN spell firmly, not letting her grasp on Asgore's SOUL loosen.

Slim’s weapon finally bit into RG 01, splitting his armor in two. Grinning, he pounced on the now half naked monster, driving his bone saw into his unprotected chest. The knight fell to dust underneath the skeleton. Slim sat there, panting, resting his magic and his body, feeling the EXP surge into him. He was LV 10 now.

RG 02 heard his partner's dying scream, and turned away from Dance to throw his rage and hatred at Slim. Dance took his chance, skewering the distracted monster with a criss cross of bones. RG 02 wasn't kill instantly, rather, he hung there, gasping, as the KR effect drained him of the last of his strength. The bones shifted, ever so slightly, and he crumbled to dust. Dance did not gain any EXP.

Dance sank to the floor, gulping down ragged breaths desperately, his body soaked in sweat. He'd never fought a monster before (the human, yes, but not a monster).

Slim pushed himself to his feet by leaning on his weapon. Dust coated his cloths like a splatter of spray paint. His eye lights smoldered. Then he heard the roar of an incoming fireball attack, snatched Dance by the back of his hoodie, and teleported out of the way.

Comic and Stretch stood poised, their dominant hands (left and right respectively) held out and glowing faintly with residual magic that was mirrored in their one eyes. Raising their hands up, the skeletons summoned a large conglomerate of Gaster Blasters.

Edge again was locked in a stalemate with Asgore. He saw the Blasters charging from the corner of his eye. He forced his face to remain composed, so as not to tip off his opponent. Although he could already feel the much larger and more muscular monster beginning to dominate the exchange, Edge kept him occupied. Just a little longer...

The Gaster Blasters fired. At the same time, Edge jumped back.

Asgore was hit squarely. His howls made the whole castle shake.

Comic and Stretch kept alternating rounds of Blasters, keeping the boss monster in a continual stream. The king's HP began to dip lower and lower, the KR effect ripping his LV 20 SOUL into pieces. However, the two skeletons could not keep it up for very long.

Edge however, did not need long at all. Raising his hands over his head, Edge summoned a Gaster Blaster of significantly greater size. He grinned as the magic began to condense inside it, the energy beam charging changing colors as the magic became stronger.

When Comic and Stretch finally pulled back, collapsing to the floor from the overextension of their limited stamina, Edge fired.

Red appeared in the back of the hall, shaking free of Rus's grip. He ran desperately towards his brother, arm outstretched.

Asgore howled even louder, in pain and anger. Edge let his arms fall, summoning a bone attack in each hand. As his blaster disappeared, Edge lunged in for the final blow. His bone cleaved through the armor of the king, reaching in and smashing his boss monster SOUL in two.

But he heard a sickening wet noise, felt a burning pain in his own chest.

Looking down, Edge saw the king's trident lodged squarely through his Battle Body, the blades dripping blood and marrow.

Edge coughed.

Asgore snickered, blood seeping between his teeth and down into his fur.

The two monsters let go of their weapons, falling backwards onto the floor.

And crumbled to dust.

Two anguished voices pierced the now empty, dusty air.

One from Vengeance, her eyes wide and wet as she pushed her blackened body to its feet.  
One from Red, as he fell to his knees, grasping hold of his little brother's dusty red scarf in shaking hands.

" _**P A P Y R U S ! ! ! ! !** _ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ The KR effect (or KARMA) is the Judge's power. (the purple thing Sans does when he Dunks on you) The greater your LV, the stronger the KR effect when it hits you. It cannot make the final blow (it will stop at 1 HP) but if it is in effect when the final blow is struck, thats "killing in judgement"
> 
> ~ A Judge cannot gain EXP if they make a kill in Judgement. So, uh, yeah, Comic fucked up at the beginning of the story. It is totally his fault. Slim and Red both kill outside of Judgement on purpose. Comic did it on accident way back in Chapter 1.
> 
> ~ God this fight looks so fucking anime and cool in my head
> 
> ~ *hysterical evil laughter intensifies*


	25. Secrets, Shocks, and Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a lot of things happen, and most of it is bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR MOST OPTIMUM FEELS, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU TURN ON [THIS SONG](https://soundcloud.com/navi_b/undertale-ost-his-theme-undertale-main-theme-piano-cover) WHILE YOU READ THE FIRST SCENE
> 
> This is a longer chapter. Hope that makes up for the wait lol.
> 
> Also plz leave comments they make me happy. I love questions and if you ask I might even answer!

The only noise Red could discern was the rush of his blood through his bones, the thrum of his SOUL in his ribcage. His now blurry vision seemed to fade into monochrome. Except for red - he could see red. The red of his brother's scarf. He hated the color. He hated the horrible brilliance of it, like a gaping wound in the fabric of the universe. Like the world itself was bleeding.

Bleeding, because it had suffered a fatal blow.

Because his brother was gone. _His world_ was gone.

Red clutched at the fabric, his claws making tiny holes in the worn cloth. He dimly felt the tears stream down from his eye sockets, dripping onto his phalanges. He held the scarf against his eyes, a wretched scream ripping from his nonexistent throat as his body shook so hard his bones clacked together.

" _ **P A P Y R U S ! ! ! Papyrus!!!** Boss!!! Boss..! Boss..!_ ...Brother..." Red's voice started off strong, howling, tearing through the air. However, he couldn't sustain the volume, as the emotion began to scar his voice, breaking it down into a trembling, jagged mess that was barely discernible as words. He sat there, face buried in the scarf, sobbing shamelessly, loudly, the noises occasionally stuttering when he spasmed in the skeletal equivalent of a hiccup.

Vengeance dragged her burned body over to the pile of dust, ripping off her ruined armor as she went. Sinking to her knees, she grasping at the fine grains lovingly as her now bare hands shook from more than just pain. "Captain... Captain...! No, no no no... _Papyrus..! **PAPYRUS!!!**_ Please don't go..!" The little dust she had scooped up seeped through the holes in the webbing between her fingers, sinking back into the pile with a small puff. Her breath caught. She could no longer hold back her tears. Slamming her fists to either side of the dust, Vengeance broke down into racking sobs, curling up as close to the remains of her friend, her captain, her one-and-only, as she could.

Everyone else looked on in stunned silence.

Stretch clutched at his chest, cringing back from the uncharacteristic display of emotion from the usually angry, snarky skeleton. His entire being ached with the need to help. He wanted to run to him, to pull him into his arms, and rub his back, and whisper that everything would be alright, that it was a bad dream. But he couldn't. He couldn't move. He couldn't think.

Dance looked away, hiding his face with his hood, going still as a statue. He couldn't look. He couldn't bear to see the dust. He wanted to block out the screaming, to run away, to be anywhere but in this room. But Dance felt like he had to be here, to bear witness to the tragedy. Nobody had ever been there to witness his own.

Slim dispelled his weapon, scrambling into his pockets for a smoke, never taking his eyes off the scene before him. He wasn't certain what had his hands shaking more, the marrow drenched trident now laying on the floor, or the animalistic cries coming from the two monsters prostrate in the dust. Either way, he needed something, anything, to calm his nerves. Where was a cigarette when you needed one??

Rus made to run forward, to try and comfort the grieving monsters, but Comic stopped him, shaking is head. Rus felt his eyes sockets fill with tears, but quickly wiped them away. Comic's face was blank, stony, but Rus could feel the tension and the slight tremble that passed through his brother's hand into his arm. He put his hand over Comic's, squeezing it. Comic squeezed back. Neither one felt much better.

Justice, almost fully healed thanks to Lust, got to her feet, her body and SOUL both cold. As she watched her counterpart, she could hardly fathom the depths of her pain. She took a step forward, to go to her side, but stopped herself. Justice had never suffered any real loss. What could she say that wouldn't ring hollow? Clenching her fists in frustration, she pounded against the nearest pillar, making a small fractured impression in the stone.

Lust felt his SOUL shrink back at the sounds Red was making. He covered his teeth with one hand, fighting back the tears that formed against the rim of his eye sockets. What could he possibly do to help with this?

Red and Vengeance slowly faded into silence, their bodies growing still. Almost at the same time, they pushed themselves to their feet, turning to face each other, their faces contorted in rage. They began screaming at each other, gesturing wildly, pointing at each other accusingly.

"This is YER FAULT, ya dumb bitch!!" Red snarled.

"Jackass, it's all because of you!!" Vengeance spat.

"If you'd kept yer fuckin' mouth shut, none o' this woulda happened!!!"

"If you'd gotten off your fucking ass and actually helped, this could have been prevented!!!"

"Fuck You!!!!! If ya had just given' up on yer goddamn revenge, _like I fuckin' told ya_ , Boss never woulda even been here!!!!!"

"If you'd been even a fraction as good a brother to him as you should have, he never would have had to go this far!!!"

Red slugged her. "Shut yer goddamn mouth you BITCH!!!"

Vengeance took a swing at Red, but he dodged. "Fucking make me, you piece of shit!!"

"This happened cuz ya couldn't just let it fuckin' go!!!"

"This happened because you were never there for him!!!"

"I was ALWAYS there fer him!!!"

"LIKE HELL YOU WERE!!! Being there for family doesn't mean driving them mad!!! It means giving a shit!!! All you ever fucking did was bring out the stars-damned worst in him!!!"

"What I did was fer his own good!!! I made him tough!!! I made sure he knew never t' let ANYONE fuck with him!! UNLIKE YOU!!!"

"I gave him HOPE, you bastard!!!"

" _ **AN' LOOK WHERE HOPE GOT HIM!!!!**_ " Red screamed, pointing at the dust and shaking the scarf in his fist. "Look where yer precious mother-fuckin' HOPE got him!!! It got him fuckin' dead!!! DEAD!!! All because YOU had t' fuckin' HOPE that this stars-damned broken hellhole could get better!!!"

"He didn't do it for me!! He did it for YOU!!! He worked his fucking ass off trying to make a better Underground for YOU!!!"

"THERE IS NO UNDERGROUND WITHOUT BOSS!!!!" There was no _anything_ without Edge, as far as Red was concerned. The world _was_ Edge. It was Edge parading regally through the snow as he made inspection. It was Edge growling at his newest book. It was Edge coming home every night, and locking the door for safety. It was Edge snarling in anger at the locals when they stepped out of line. It was Edge laughing at his own brilliance when he improved a trap. It was Edge breaking the TV every other week. It was even his constant nagging and bitching and complaining about Red's lack of effort, laziness, and all around disparaging behavior that made Red want to claw his nonexistent eyes out and drink himself stupid. It was Edge, with his unmistakable aura, when all it took was being within a few yards of him for Red to know he was there. It was Edge when he struck Red, and Red could feel that Edge was alive, was real, was strong, was a constant that would always be there. Edge was Red's one and only hope, and he had been content with life, believing that, despite everything else that was horrible in the world, despite all of his own failures, it would never be taken from him. _And now it was gone._

Red sank back to his knees, his strength giving out, clutching the scarf to his chest. He didn't have the energy to be angry anymore. "If only he'd killed me... If only... Maybe th' EXP woulda been enough... His DEF woulda... He mighta..." He broke down into tears again, holding his face as he shook.

Vengeance ground her teeth. Wiping her eyes, she turned away from Red and faced the second pile of dust on the floor. Screaming with rage and pain and sorrow that made the air tremble around her, she summoned a spear and began stabbing at the dust; making holes in the purple cloth embroidered with the royal family crest, smashing the little bits of golden armor still left into even smaller pieces. She barred down with all her strength, tears coming back again, until she could no longer stand. She leaned on the spear stuck in the floor, clutching it like a lifeline as she hid her face in her arms and sobbed.

From the doorway, a tiny yellow flower watched. There was a pool of liquid around it's stem. A few drops of moisture slid down one of the petals and landed with a soft plop. It's posture started off slumped, downcast. However, it soon straightened to its full height, the face surrounded by petals becoming more firm, more resolved. More DETERMINED.

Lust swallowed. His heart couldn't take it anymore. Taking a deep breath, he shuffled quietly towards Red. Carefully, softly, gently, he reached out a hand to rest it on the broken skeleton's shoulder. He reached out to comfort him, to sooth him, to try and take just a little bit of the pain away.

But before he could reach-

_The world stuttered._

* * *

-Lust's head swam as he was hit again with those familiar but jarring golden lights. Trying to blink them from his eyes, his outstretched hand fumbled in front of him blindly for purchase.

"My m-MACHINES have d-d-DETECTED an unusual anomaly, your m-m-MAJEST _ **YYYYYYY!!!**_ " a stuttering voice came. The last sound came out more like a shriek, as Lust took hold of a soft but firm shoulder, making the person in question jump. Gasps of shock rang out over the marble tiles, the voices of dozens of monsters echoing the same disbelief and fascination.

Lust froze. That was not Red under his hand.

"SEIZE THEM!!" Boomed Asgore's voice.

Lust realized he might be in trouble. Pulling his hand away from the person he could only make the barest fuzzy outline of with his still blurry vision, he snapped his fingers to take a shortcut back to the house-

-and crumpled in agony. His magic swirled and focused like normal, but instead of flowing outward to make the shortcut, it bounced off an invisible wall around his SOUL and crashed back into him. The pain was excruciating. Even worse, it aggravated the heat in his bones, redoubling the effects of the LUST inside him. As he spasmed on the cold floor, he wondered if the noises being ripped from him were from pain or pleasure. Not that it mattered. It was still awful.

Lust dimly heard the screams of the others in his haze.

"GET OFF ME, PUNK!!" Justice snarled as she tried to fight someone off. There were grunts and yelps as she got a few good shots in before being pinned face down under two KnightKnights.

"Run, bro!!" Comic shouted, pushing Rus towards the door feebly. He too had tried to shortcut, and was fighting off the effects of the magic backlash. He sank to his knees, sweating and shaking. An Astigmatism scooped him up by the throat.

Rus shook, but began running at his brother's command. He didn't get very far, however, as he was intercepted by a Final Froggit that knocked him over and sat on him to pin him in place. "UH, MR FROGGIT? YOU ARE A LITTLE TOO HEAVY FOR ME TO PUSH OFF!! COULD YOU MOVE PLEASE??" The Froggit smacked the back of Rus's skull with its tongue, smashing it to the floor and knocking him out.

Dance dodged the outstretched hands of a grinning Madjick, only to be snared by a Pyrope he hadn't seen. He kicked and struggled, still a little disoriented from the RESET. Slim punched the Pyrope in the face, making the monster drop his prisoner. Slim scooped up Dance and took off like lightning down the hall towards Stretch, who was being overpowered by an Aaron.

Stretch had dodged the attacks of his assailant without much trouble, but he had been herded into a corner where he no longer had any room to maneuver. The Aaron spread his muscular arms wide, engulfing the much smaller skeleton monster in a bear hug that had Stretch panicking about his HP.

"Kill them a-a-AND you will t-t-TAKE their p-PLACES in my r-r-RESEARCH!!!" The stuttering voice snapped, sounding menacing despite the vocal tick. "T-t-THEY are no good to me a-AS dust!!"

The Aaron bristled at the voice, being more careful with Stretch as he turned around to bring him back to the middle of the hallway. Slim jumped up, kicking the Aaron in the maw, hard enough to knock a few teeth out. Stretch felt the arms loosen their grip further, letting him wiggle out and away.

The monster still standing next to Lust made an exasperated noise. "I-IF you w-w-WANT something d-DONE right..." she muttered, fumbling into her coat. She pulled out a small device that might have been a cell phone. She pressed a few buttons (Lust could hear the dial tones), holding the device out over Lust's head, pointing it towards the escaping skeletons.

Then Lust was once more acquainted with pain. As were Slim, Stretch, Dance, and a few more unfortunate monsters, if the screams were any indication. The device had sent out a surge of electrical energy, lances of pale yellow lightning that shot from the antenna of the device and honed in on any monsters in the way. They all crumpled to the floor, twitching and spasming, some of them foaming at the mouth.

The room went silent. "W-w-WELL?? What are you w-w-WAITING for?! Take them to the l-l-LAB!!!" The monster spun on her heels. "I-IF that is alright with you, y-y-YOUR majesty..."

Asgore chuckled. "I leave them in your capable hands, Dr. Alphys. Do send me your findings."

"W-w-WITH pleasure!" The monster curtsied, cackling. She then snatched Lust roughly by the back of his vest and dragged him along with her. Before they reached the end of the hall, Lust felt himself be picked up by the hands of a Madjick.

He could hear the struggles and protests of Comic and Justice as the group was hauled away.

* * *

Red blinked. One moment he was in the Hall, crying like a babybones, the next he was facedown at Grillby's bar, a bottle of mustard in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. His tears were still flowing, and he let out a sob into the wood of the bar top before he could stop himself. He dropped both bottles, sliding back a bit so only his frontal bone was braced against the bar top, covering his teeth with one hand and clutching at the collar around his neck with the other, his bones rattling audibly even in the din of the restaurant.

Red forced himself to calm down. His glowing red eye flared and flickered almost as violently as the fire elemental who turned sharply at the sound Red had made.

The bartender leaned forward on both hands over Red, alarmed. His best customer had never, ever made a sound like that before, a sound so full of hopelessness and grief it made even his greedy, shriveled prune of a heart tremble. He stared at the shaking skeleton hard. Had something been wrong with his drink? Should Grillby be worried that his supply had been compromised?

Red got himself to stop shaking, taking deep breaths. When he was fully composed again, he pulled his head up, coming face to face with the concerned elemental over him.

"...What is wrong?" The elemental hissed softly.

Red blinked. Was Grillby worried? The thought made it easier to plaster his shit eating grin on his face, made the chuckle he forced out a little less fake. "What? Nothin'!" Red blustered, waving one hand dismissively.

Grillby eyed him. "...Nothing is wrong with the drink?"

"Other than it bein' watered down swill, not a damn thing, Grillbz," Red smirked at the look of surprise on Grillby's face. "Yeah, I noticed, ya money grubbin' flashlight. Not that I mind, considerin'..." Red got up while the elemental was thrown off. "Welp, I gotta go. Put it on my tab." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked out.

Outside, Red could see it was midday. He ground his teeth. Had there been a RESET? There hadn't been one in years! Not since- since... the last time that Boss had... Red pushed that thought from his mind, pulling his hood up as he made his way home through the snow. He had begun to think the anomaly had just up and vanished. Guess that was wishful thinking on his part. But maybe this time something good would come out of it. Maybe... Red picked up his pace.

As he approached the house, he saw Vengeance on the porch, pounding on the door. He slowed, watching. Then he heard it, muffled from inside the house.

"BREAK MY DOOR AGAIN AND I'LL RIP YOU IN HALF!!!"

Red's SOUL thrummed.

Edge yanked the door open roughly. "GET IN!"

Before Edge closed the door, Red zipped inside, throwing himself so hard into his brother it knocked him over.

Edge braced against his fall, summoning bones to attack the thing that had dared to assault him. Then he saw the smaller skeleton clinging to his Battle Body, shaking. "SANS?!? WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT- SANS?!?!?!" Edge could feel the vibrations coming from his brother. They were not normal.

"Don't EVER do that again!!!" Red snarled, digging his claws into his brother's armor. "Don't ya EVER FUCKIN' DO THAT AGAIN ya overgrown toothpick!! EVER!"

Edge closed the front door with BLUE magic, looking down at Red with confusion and no small amount of irritation. "THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!" Edge's first instinct was to grab Red by the throat and toss him across the room, but he forced his itching claws to obey his rational mind and stay put at his sides. Something was off. He could see the faint glow of magic leaking from his brother's eyes. Red's body was shaking, his voice had cracked ever so slightly. Edge had only ever seen this behavior once before, years ago, after Red had had a horrible nightmare. Edge had come into his room, intent on complaining about the irritating noise that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. That was the first time he saw Red scratch up his wall. The instant Red had seen him, he had tackled him to the floor and shook him, screaming, much like now, about 'never doing it again'.

In hindsight, it was the same day Edge and Red had had their first real fight.

Edge ground his teeth, shifting his position so he was sitting cross legged, moving Red so he was in his lap. Red hardly seemed to notice. Edge twitched. Outside of fighting (and the occasional time when Edge carried Red's sleeping/drunk ass home), the brothers hadn't been this close to each other in years. Edge was unsure how to handle what felt like something akin to an intimate moment. So he just sat there, watching as his brother slowly stopped shaking and loosened his grip. Edge noticed the moisture that had dripped down his brother's face, the way he leaned forward to rub the sleeve of his jacket over his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Red was a lot of things, but weak was not one of them. If he had been reduced to this...

Red let go of Edge completely, jumping away and brushing himself off. Edge twitched, scowling. "SO YOU'RE JUST GOING TO PRETEND THAT NEVER HAPPENED???" He was becoming increasingly more irritated with his brother's evasiveness and secrecy. "NO EXPLANATION?? JUST LIKE LAST TIME??"

"Yep, nope, an' yep," Red replied curtly, fixing his coat.

Vengeance eyed him. She had never seen this before, although to be fair she did her best to avoid interacting with the smaller monster.

Edge growled, standing up. "DON'T BOTHER ME WITH YOUR PROBLEMS IF YOU INSIST ON BEING SUCH A PRICK ABOUT IT!!!" He smoothed out his cloths, noting that Red had left scratches and a few rips in them. It didn't actually bother him, but he scowled regardless.

"Captain, what was it you wanted to speak about..?" Vengeance asked, fishing out the report from her briefcase and holding it out to him.

Edge took it, setting it on the table with the pet rock. "I HAD SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU, HOWEVER, THEY SEEM TO HAVE DISAPPEARED."

Red blinked, looking up. Sure enough, the livingroom was empty, save for the three of them. Then it hit him. The RESET. They had been in the Hall when the RESET hit. So the others were probably left behind. Red pulled out his phone, texting Slim (the first contact he could pull up):

[where are you]

Minutes passed. Nothing. Red tried again.

[where r yu]

Still nothing. Red tried Comic's number.

[were r yu]

Nothing. Red began to sweat. He tried Lust.

[wer r u]

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???" Edge growled.

Red was silent a moment. He swallowed, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. "Uh, nothin' Boss..." His eye light jittered slightly, making the crimson glow sway from side to side. He had no idea what had happened to the others. He plastered on his best smug grin. "Not a damn thing..." Stuffing his claws into his pockets, he headed up to his room, leaving Vengeance and Edge to be alone.

Red shut the door behind him, leaning into it with a sigh. Everything was fine. He didn't owe those morons anything. He had warned them that staying was a bad idea. He had given them the chance to get out. He had screamed at them how stupid it was to stay here. He told them they would regret it. Now it wasn't his fault they were missing. For all he knew, they had found a way to leave without him. It wasn't Red's problem anymore. It hadn't been his problem to begin with.

Red only took care of himself (and Edge). Red only cared about himself (and Edge). Red did not have a single good reason to give any shits about those weak, pathetic, _retarded_ cotton-candy FreExp dumb-asses.

Going out to look for them was a bad idea.

Going out to look for them was a _stupid_ idea.

A very, very stupid idea.

Red snarled at himself, clutching at his sternum though his shirt, feeling the soft thrum of his magic inside him. Memories of the past few weeks surged in his skull unbidden: sharing the last bit of weed with Slim; working with Dance on the machine; his fight with Justice; Rus's shameless grinning; one of Comic's many jokes; how small Stretch had looked, cowering in the snow; the warmth of Lust's magic against his...

Red snapped his fingers, cursing under his breath. _Damn them. Damn them all._ When he got his hands on them, they were going to wish they were never born.

* * *

Slim woke up to the sound of rattling, like metal on metal. His head pounded, his body ached, and his limbs felt heavy. Silencing a groan, he did a quick internal CHECK: HP 0.6 -- that explained the pain. He pulled his hand up to cover his eye sockets, and heard another rattle, closer than the one that had roused him. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. On his wrists were heavy metal shackles, binding them together in front of him. Slim twitched -- that explained the weight. He sat up from his spot on the floor, listening and feeling: shackles on both wrists and ankles. He found there was an invasiveness about them, and inspected them further -- there was a bit of chain that looped between his radii and ulnae, as well as his tibias and fibulae, preventing the thick heavy cuffs from sliding off his thin bony limbs. As he moved, that chain shifted against his bones, sending uncomfortable shudders through him. Slim considered summoning magic to simply cut himself loose, but there was a familiar heaviness on his SOUL as well -- Magic Suppressors, likely from the cuffs themselves, if he had to guess. It was similar technology to what the Royal Guard used when detaining a criminal back home. Slim had been volunteered to test the gear. He knew damn well the futility of using magic. However, nothing was stopping him from testing the physical restraints. He knew it would likely be a waste of energy, but he pulled up his wrists and bit down on the chain between them. Sure enough, the metal held firm despite his best efforts to bite through them. It had been a nice thought.

Sighing, Slim leaned back against the wall and let his attention drift outward. It was dark, but the faint glow of his eye lights showed him that he was in a small cell, consisting of three bare stone walls, and one wall of cruel metal bars. The area couldn't have been more that 5 x 5 feet. Slim could see there was an identical cell across the hall from him. Inside was Lust, slumped against the wall, breathing heavy.

Slim stood up slowly, shuffling forward to lean against the cage wall, gripping a bar in one hand. "You alright there, lil guy?" He gave an investigatory yank on the bar. It did not budge even a millimeter.

"He's been like that for a while," came Stretch's voice from directly to Slim's right. "I would have gone to check on him, but I'm a bit, uh, _tied up_ at the moment, heh..." He sounded well enough, but there was a hollowness in his laugh that told Slim he was anything but.

Slim grinned weakly, trying to hide his own anxiety even though there was nobody to see him. "No point getting _rattled_ , then."

"Ex _chain_ ging puns now, are we?" Comic's voice came. Slim saw him walk up from inside the cage to Lust's left, pressing himself against the bars. He grinned hard, like he was straining to keep the smile.

"SANS!! NO!! THIS IS BAD ENOUGH WITHOUT YOU MAKING IT WORSE WITH HORRIBLE JOKES!!!" Rus cried from further to the right. Slim couldn't see that far, but judging from the sound he was probably in the cell to Comic's left.

The rattling that had woken Slim stopped briefly, only to resume with a resounding crash of metal on metal. "NGAAAAHHH!!" Crash. "NGAAAAHHHHH!" Crash. Slim could hear it now. Further to the right of him was Justice, throwing herself at the cage with all her might, trying to break out. 

"Her _bar_ k is a lot worse than her bite, huh?" Dance's voice came from Slim's left.

"I HEARD THAT, PUNK!!" Justice shouted. Rus saw her sink to her knees, panting. Her limbs were bound much tighter together, her shackles thicker and heavier, than those on the skeletons. She had a few gashes on her arms, places where scales had been roughly knocked loose, and a few of her teeth were missing. She had not gone down without a fight, and it showed. After a moment of rest, she resumed pounding on the bars of her cell, smashing her wrist cuffs into the metal that stood between her and freedom.

Slim cringed at the sharp noise. That had to hurt. He looked back at Lust, concerned. Lust clenched his teeth, pressing his head back against the wall, clutching at his shirt. He was drenched in sweat that glowed a faint purple.

Slim clenched his teeth. That didn't look good.

Glaring lights came on, making Slim flinch, blinking to adjust to the brightness. He heard the soft clack of clawed footsteps approach from the right.

Alphys walked casually down the hall, stopping in front of each cell to examine the occupant. She looked at Justice, who had stopped her efforts for a quick breather, and made a few notes on her clipboard. Justice stared at her, dumbfounded. Alphys didn't seem to find the reaction noteworthy, because she immediately turned to Rus.

Rus sat on his knees in the middle of his cell. He smiled his best smile, waving at Alphys, trying to be as friendly and polite as possible. "HELLO! WOULD YOU PLEASE LET US OUT?? I ASSURE YOU THERE HAS BEEN A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING!!" Alphys eyed him, making Rus shift even more uncomfortably then he was already. Alphys made a few notes as she moved on.

Comic shifted from one foot to another, trying to ignore when Alphys inspected him. When she looked down to write, he signed to Stretch, { _Try to read her notes._ }, making his chains rattle a bit. Alphys looked up from her clipboard, just catching the last hand sign (the period), and bristled. She looked at Comic harder, scratching out something she had written and scribbling something quickly, not taking her eyes off of him. Comic grinned at her. Stretch stood on his tippy toes, leaning on the bars, to get the best view to read.

> **SUBJECT 1:** fish monster bearing a striking resemblance to Undyne. stats disappointing. start w/ 30 milliliters?  
>  **SUBJECT 2:** skeleton w/ identical features to Papyrus. stats laughably low, but not impossible to work with. start w/ 10 milliliters?  
>  **SUBJECT 3:** skeleton w/ familiar features. stats  abysmal. ~~Useless for experimentation.~~ requires further investigation.

Stretch ground his teeth. Milliliters? Of what?

"Well, this is nothing to _write_ home about," Comic mused aloud.

Alphys paused in her notes, looking back up at him.

Comic shrugged, grinning. He wanted to buy time for Stretch to finish reading. "Your customer service is less than ex _cell_ ent. I didn't even get a key to my room!"

Alphys frowned. Thats right, this one reminded her of- something occurred to her. She CHECKed him again, and her eyes lit up. His NAME! She had forgotten to look at his NAME! This couldn't possibly be- She shuffled back and checked Rus again, letting out an almost giddy shriek, scribbling notes wildly, biting her lip in excitement. She even gave Justice a brief glance, the sparkle of madness and delight in her eyes only intensifying.

Stretch signed to Comic, telling him what it was he had read. Comic narrowed his eyes, becoming more concerned with each movement of the other skeleton's hand. This was looking worse by the minute.

Alphys practically skipped back to investigate Stretch, who was caught in the middle of signing, { _It doesn't mean what I thi-_ }. His hands froze mid sign as soon as he realized Alphys had a visual on him. He tried stuffing his hands in his pockets, but the chains wouldn't let him. Alphys scribbled more notes and went further to look in on Slim. Slim sat against the wall, positioned so he could keep an eye on Lust, lazily picking at a hole in his leather pants. Alphys CHECKed him, jotting down more notes. Slim flicked her off. She frowned at him. He grinned triumphantly. She jotted one more quick note before turning to Lust.

Alphys was not expecting to see the skeleton monster look so out of sorts. She made a few quick notes, then stopped. She raised an eyebrow. Had his HP ticked down? She watched. Sure enough, it ticked down again, ever so slightly, fractions of fractions. Alphys noted it down, then turned to see Dance.

"I r-r-REMEMBER you.... nosy l-LITTLE pleb..." Alphys muttered, CHECKing Dance. Dance ground his teeth, back against the far wall, staying as far away from the lizard monster as possible. "T-THOUGHT I wouldn't notice y-y-YOUR snooping, did y-YOU? P-p-PHONES have c-CAMERAS in them nowadays, you n-n-NEANDERTHAL!" She grinned, her feelings of superiority heavy in the air, like the musty odor of her unwashed labcoat. The she turned her head, whistling. A Knight Knight came into the room, saluting. Alphys fished the keys to the cell from her pocket. "Remove t-THIS subject and g-g-GIVE him to M-METTATON for a d-d-DAY." She said as she unlocked the jail door. "If he c-CAN'T s-SURVIVE, he wasn't much of a g-g-GUINI PIG to begin with."

The Knight Knight slipped into Dance's Cell, reaching for him. Dance dodged her attempts, slipping past her and trying to get out the door. Alphys smirked, holding a small device in her hand. As Dance spun passed her, she pressed the button on it. Dance screamed, crumpling to the floor, his shackles glowing a pale yellow as they sent waves of pain into him. The Knight Knight scooped up his limp body and carried him away.

Justice redoubled her efforts to break from her cage, snarling in outrage. Rus covered his teeth when he heard the scream, shaking. Slim's hands clenching into fists. Comic simply went very still.

Stretch squeezed the bars as hard as he could, trembling with indignation. "LET HIM GO!!!" His voice rose. The Knight Knight froze in fear, turning to look at Stretch.

Alphys twitched. "Get m-m-MOVING!!" She snapped. The Knight Knight jumped, running out of the room with Dance in hand.

That done, Alphys opened the door to Lust's cell and stepped inside. "Now, l-l-LET'S see what amusement y-y-YOU have f-FOR me..." She gripped Lust around the throat. Her scaly claws slid over the grooves in Lust's cervical vertebrae. Lust bit back a scream, shuddering, eyes half open. He clutched at the lizard's wrist as she dragged him away.

Stretch slammed into the bars. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" Slim stood up, flexing his phalanges, aching to use them on something that would break.

Alphys snickered, snorting. It was so amusing to see how worked up this group got over each other. None of her other subjects ever reacted this way. It made her want to be extra careful not to ruin them: she wanted to repeat this experience, and she probably couldn't do that if they were reduced to dust. In a good mood, Alphys left the room, her new test subject in hand.

* * *

Red searched everywhere he could think of: he checked the door to the ruins; he checked every guard station from the edge of Snowdin to the steps of New Home; he checked the secret places in Waterfall; he checked the the lab under his house; he checked the Shed; he checked the Dump, getting into a less than civil altercation with Mad Dummy in the process (little bitch got laid out good, hah!). By the time he had covered every inch of the underground, Red was exhausted. He had gotten into a FIGHT at every step, and his energy was well and thoroughly spent. He knew he was forgetting something. He just couldn't for the life of him figure out what.

Red came home, collapsing onto the couch beside his brother. Edge glared at him, a plate of spaghetti in one hand and the TV remote in the other. "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO???"

"Fer a walk," Red mumbled. Edge gave him a dirty look, knowing damn well that was not the whole of it, but he decided that he would rather eat his dinner in peace. He turned the TV on.

Mettaton posed dramatically on the screen. "GREETINGS! It's me again, the fabulous Mettaton!! And tonight, we have a special treat! Tonight, a pathetic worm will be undertaking the Amalgamate Challenge!!!" Cheers could be heard from the live audience. Mettaton laughed manically. "I KNOW! It's wonderful! Now, for those of you who have forgotten, here are the Rules: the challenger will be placed in the arena with 5 Amalgamates for 5 hours. If they live, they win a fabulous prize: NOT DYING!!"

Mettaton paused to let the roars from the crowd wash over him. After a moment ,he waved his hands for silence, leaning towards the camera sassily. "However, this particular challenger has volunteered to take the challenge, drumroll please... COMPLETELY WITHOUT THE USE OF MAGIC!! Isn't that EXCITING?!" The audience cheered louder. They loved the idea of a guaranteed bloodbath. "SO! Let's meet out contestant!!"

Mettaton waved his hand again, and the camera panned to the right, revealing the grand arena. The image zoomed in on the lone figure, a diminutive figure in a blue hoodie.

Edge stopped his fork halfway to his mouth. "IS THAT..?!"

Red's eye lights went out completely. " _Dance?!_ " He practically fell off the sofa, crawling closer to the cracked television as if it would help him get a better look. _He hadn't checked the Lab. He hadn't checked the True Lab. Why didn't he think to check the True Lab?!_

* * *

Dance stood in the spotlight, shielding his eye sockets from the glaring light. His body still ached from the electrocution, but at least his HP was back at 100% (someone had shoved a burned steak into his mouth before pushing him out into the area). The chains that tethered his ankles and wrists together had been removed, but the shackles themselves were still present, gleaming in the light for the crowd to see. He heard the screams of hundreds of monsters all around him. What was going to happen now?

Suddenly, five more spotlights lit up gates scattered evenly along the outside of the arena. The gates opened, letting in 5 terrifying monstrosities that howled and screeched as if possessed. Dance spun around, fear gripping him. The amalgamates locked onto him.

And the FIGHT began.

One amalgamate, a great mass of teeth and mush, threw great orbs of light, flickering between orange and blue. The crowd could be heard cheering the name 'Lemon Bread'. Dance did a split, letting the orbs fly harmlessly over his head.

A great creature with many legs raced toward Dance with the intent to body slam him, the gaping hole where it's face should be leaking a vile black ooze. A cheer for 'Endogeny' peeled over the din of the crowd. At the same time, a monstrous avian like creature with one great blinking eye shook like mad until a duplicate of it's head shot out of it's body at Dance, much to the delight of the creature's fans, who shouted 'Reaper Bird' enthusiastically. Dance braced himself on his arms, pushing back up onto his feet, fitting snugly in the gap between the two attacks. Sweat began to build on his skull. This wasn't going to be easy.

Dance did a backflip, going over the pile of mush that had been Reaper Bird's projectile. He heard the current of air as something rushed at him, and spun out of the way before an amalgamate that was nothing but a goopy mess of eyes and mouths could smash into him. As the crowd whooped and screamed for 'Memory Head', it missed Dance by a fraction of an inch, and smashed into the ground, making a crater. Dance gulped. That had almost been him.

The last amalgamate, a creature that looked like a Snowdrake sculpture made of Vegetiod heads and slime, spat a swarm of razor sharp sickles towards Dance. The crowd whooped for 'Snowfake', even as Dance weaved through the blades, skidding from side to side and bending at seemingly impossible angles as he glided in the dance between life and death. 

That's when Dance noticed something interesting. The thrum of his SOUL, the music that murmured just beneath the surface, was still there. The song itself didn't create the backlash of energy that would have brought him to his knees...

The frequency of the shackles clasped to him...

What would happen if he could get his SOUL to thrum at the same amplitude? And... invert the phase?

_Destructive Interference._

Pulling his hood back, Dance grinned. "Alright, pal. You wanna dance? **L E T ' S D A N C E !** "

The skeleton began to move with a explosive grace, pulling his opponents into his rhythm. Reaper Bird sent a swarm of carnivorous insects, all of which Dance twirled and spun through and around, seemingly backwards, doing a twist on his heel and jumping in a 1080° spin before landing behind the attacking monster. Reaper Bird tried to follow his movements, but got dizzy and fell over. Dance gracefully stood to his full height, winking at the camera he just now noticed. They wanted a show? _He'd give them one._

The Memory Head threw itself at Dance. Dance jumped, doing a split in midair. The memory head smashed into the ground under Dance, who then landed on top of the amalgamate, posing with one hand cupping the back of his skull, taking a page from Lust's book and wiggling his eyebrow ridges suggestively. The crowd was screaming for a whole new reason now. Perfect. That's what he wanted.

Endogeny shot arrows out of it's face anus at Dance. Dance rolled backward off the disoriented Memory Head, landing on his feet, and breaking out into a complicated beatbox routine that involved a lot of sidesteps, handstands, and spinning, all of which kept him out of reach of the arrows that whizzed past him so close the wind of it made his slightly baggy clothes billow.

Lemon Bread lunged at the skeleton, snapping it's large maw at him, trying to grind his bones between his teeth. Dance spun back and moonwalked just out of reach of the monster's jaws. He grinned, staring the amalgamate in it's not-face, one phalanx poised on his frontal bone as if holding down a hat. _Almost there. The frequency was almost there..._

Snowfake sent an even larger barrage of sickles, screeching in that dissonant voice. Dance ignored it, letting his body move in time with the music that was so close to being set free. He spun on his toes, twisting just out of reach of Lemon Bread's mouth and getting behind him. The sickles struck the amalgamate, knocking it to the floor where it bled black ooze. Dance sank to his knees, bending backwards to let the rest of the blades fly past him.

_It was now or never._

Dance held his unnecessary breath. If he was wrong, the cuffs would either kill him, or leave him in a state where he would be killed. If he died now, no one back in those cages would be able to get home. If he made even one mistake, made even the slightest miscalculation, it would all be over.

 **5...**  
**6...**  
**5, 6, 7, 8!**

Dance sent his magic bursting, filling the arena with the music of his SOUL. The cuffs around his wrists and ankles glowed a pale yellow, then green, then a brilliant white and shattered, sending sparks up around him like fireworks.

The amalgamates froze. The crowd went silent, truly silent, for the first time.

Dance grinned wider.

Without missing a beat, Dance broke out into his best routine, a perfect melding of HipHop and Beatbox. Dazzling blue and white bone structures formed all over the arena, knocking the amalgamates to the furthest corners, sending up dirt and rock and magic into the air in dazzling arcs. He made his way into the spotlight at the center, freezing in a pose that had Mettaton jealous. His sweat glistened off his pale bones, making him look like he was made of glitter and starlight.

Then, with one last wink, Dance snapped his fingers, and vanished.

The crowd went nuts.

* * *

Red stared at the television in shock and awe. He had never imagined that such a thing was possible. Nobody had ever broken out of those magic suppressors before.

Dance appeared in the livingroom. He sank to his knees, panting.

"WHAT THE FUCK-?!?!" Edge almost jumped out of his seat.

Red grabbed hold of Dance's shoulders. "Are ya hurt?"

Dance looked up at him, blinking. "W-what do y-you care..?"

Red grit his teeth. "I don't." He lied. "Ferget it." He stood up. "Stay here. Get yer strength back. We're leavin' soon." He snapped his fingers. Boss knew about shortcuts now anyway. No point wasting time. He should have left as soon as he saw Dance on that screen.

He had idiots to yell at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONGS I HAD ON REPEAT WHILE WRITING CERTAIN SCENES:  
> [Edge's Lament Scene](https://soundcloud.com/navi_b/undertale-ost-his-theme-undertale-main-theme-piano-cover)  
> (as recommended in beginning notes)  
> (yes I know this is "His Theme" but jfc it fits)
> 
> [Dance's Show Scene](https://soundcloud.com/leilabean-1/undertale-disbelief-papyrus-genocide-route-theme-spoilers)  
> (yes i know this is a papyrus song i just done care)
> 
> The way the cages were lined up:  
> [Dance]____[]  
> [Slim]______[Lust]  
> [Stretch]___[Comic]  
> [Undyne]___[Rus]
> 
> HEADCANON NOTES:
> 
> ~ ya'll forgot about Flowey, didn't you? he fucking LOVES Edge!
> 
> ~ When a RESET occurs, people visiting from another universe experience it differently. first of all, they are not returned to their previous location (there is no saved data for it), second, it is much more jarring (bright light flashes, etc), third, even if they aren't jacked up on DT and can remember through resets, they still remember stuff (so Rus and Justice remember even though if they went though a reset in their own universe, they would forget)
> 
> ~ Alphys has the hots for Asgore so bad. And this Asgore ain't opposed to it ;)
> 
> ~ Mettaton so damn jelly rn
> 
> ~ Dance is a fucking savant when it comes to frequency control (its just not all that useful in most situations)
> 
> ~ Red now has respect for the grumpy lovesick twinkle toes
> 
> ~ Edge is so fucking mad rn
> 
> ~ Wait, what's Alphys doing with Lust rn? >:) Find out NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL Z!!!!


	26. The Beginning of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Red does some things, and feels feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer to write than I expected. I must be slowing down lol.

Red appeared in the depths of the True Lab, suppressing a shudder. It was just as he remembered it: the dimly lit rooms; the gelid, sterile air; the oppressive silence; it was awful. He hated it. On the bright side, at least the layout looked about the same. It made his job that much easier.

Red stepped carefully around musty cardboard boxes, approaching the overused desk littered with files. He rummaged in the drawers. Damn, the keys weren't here. He should have expected as much. The skank was a slob, but she wasn't careless. The problem now was how to pry it from her slimy claws.

Then he heard the scream.

* * *

Lust was consumed by the heat. The metal cuffs on his wrists and ankles, which should have been cold, were like fire against his bones. His SOUL was being condensed, suppressed, suffocated. The LUST inside him roiled like a caged animal, ignoring his every attempt to quell it. He couldn't think about anything but trying to stay calm, to not panic. Panicking was the worst thing he could do right now.

He couldn't tell who it was that had a hold of him, but he knew they didn't have his best intentions at heart. Despite that, every time they yanked him forward, their rough hand slid along the grooves in his cervical vertebrae, and sent lances of fire up and down his spine. It took everything he had to keep quite. Moisture pricked at his eye sockets. This was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to him. How had it gotten so bad, so fast?

At least their hands were cold.

Lust was dumped unceremoniously onto a cold metal surface. His arms were pulled over his head, the chains affixed to them locked into place. His ankles were pulled down further, also fixed into place, so that he was stretched taunt and flat against the surface under him. Lust gasped at the sensation of the ice-like metal against his exposed lumbar vertebrae, arching a little to pull away. The shock did at least bring him out of his haze. He blinked, looking around.

Lust was chained onto a sizable metal table. It wasn't particularly high, only about as far off the ground as Alphys's hip. Lust could see it was the lizard monster in the room with him now. He should have guessed.

Alphys pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, the tips reinforced so her tiny claws wouldn't penetrate them. Pushing a tray laden with various tools, none of which looked particularly reassuring to the trembling skeleton, she pulled up a stool and sat next to the table, eyeing Lust in that chilling way that he knew meant she was CHECKing him. Alphys pulled a small device from her pocket, one that looked a bit like a cellphone. She pressed a few buttons. Lust heard a click.

Alphys began speaking, low and emotionless, suddenly lacking the usual stutter. "Date: DD/MM/YYYY. Time: 3:27 PM. Subject: anomaly #5. Skeleton-type monster of diminutive size and abysmal stats. Came scantily clad. Is exhibiting unprecedented symptoms, including extreme body temperature and gradual loss of HP. Beginning investigation now." She gripped Lust's face, turning it from side to side, looking into his eyes. "Eye lights indicate magic classification to be purple - PERSEVERANCE."

Lust chuckled to himself. _PERSEVERANCE._ That was just a nice way of saying 'weathering the storm because you're too stars-damned lazy to try and change anything.' Just like now. He knew he was in a bad place. He knew he should be fighting tooth and nail to escape. But he was so hot, so tired...

Alphys let go of Lust's face. "Pupil shape is unusual. Mirrors the shape of a SOUL." She stood up from the stool, picking up a small flashlight from the tray and walking around him, shining it over his bones. "No visible signs of marks or injur-" She stopped, wiggling the light again. Then, gripping Lust's head hard, she turning it to the side, inspecting his neck. "Correction -- three small scratches in the C4 vertebrae, along the edge of the lamina." She put down the light, and picked up a small cotton swab. She pressed the soft tip into the grooves, spinning it around, trying to pick up any residue left in the bone. Lust shivered, squeezing his eyes shut. Alphys pulled the swab back after a moment, letting go of his head. "No visible residual traces. Sample taken for closer inspection. Possible poison?"

Lust ground his teeth. She was trying to figure out what was wrong with him, but why? What good would it do her? She didn't care for his well being, that was for sure.

Alphys put the swab in a tube and closed it off, leaving it on the tray. She then picked the flashlight back up and pushed Lust's shirt out of the way, inspecting his ribcage. Lust turned his face away, trying to ignore the other monster, to pretend they weren't there. Alphys bit her lip, thinking, then placed her hand over Lust's sternum and summoned his SOUL with a soft ping. Lust gasped, eyes going wide. Alphys stood back, surprised.

Lust's SOUL was a glowing a deep purple, leaking an even darker purple ooze that coated the white inverted heart so thickly the white could not be seen. The goop seemed to want to drip down, but was held in place by a sort of forcefield. Alphys grinned. "Subject's SOUL is discharging an unknown substance. Interesting..." She reached out and took hold of it, giving it a light squeeze. Some of the ooze seeped between her fingers and fell to the floor, forced out by the outside interference of the lizard's claws. Lust couldn't hold back his scream. Alphys reached for a beaker on the desk against the far wall, and held it to catch the ooze. When it didn't drip into the container fast enough for her liking, she squeezed down on Lust's SOUL.

Lust spasmed and cried, shaking against the table. "Don't- Don't do that-! Stop-!!" His pleas were cut off as Alphys wrung his SOUL of the liquid LUST, collecting it in the glass beaker. His eye lights jittered. The pain and pleasure melded and blurred inside him, making him dizzy.

Alphys eyed the noisy skeleton, CHECKing him. To her surprise, the monster's HP was beginning to rise. Alphys looked back at the ooze. This was an interesting find. The volume of the purple liquid lessened considerably over time, especially after Lust's HP returned to 100%, so Alphys had to squeeze harder to get enough of the stuff to fill the beaker properly.

Lust whimpered and panted throughout the process, realizing early on that no amount of begging was going to get her to stop. He just had to ride it out, like always. To his shame, the rough handling his SOUL was being subjected had his voice hiking. His hips jerked with each twitch of her scaly fingers. His eyes stung with tears. His whole body arched upward, straining against the chains. Lust grit his teeth, wishing he could summon a tongue to bite into. He clenched his fists, digging his phalanges into his palm as hard as he could. He wished at that moment that he had claws, like Red.

Alphys got the last of her sample, and eased up her grip. Lust gasped, falling back into the metal table, his energy gone. At least he wasn't going to melt now, but his body ached and burned for something more. The whole experience had been painful, leaving him feeling empty and unsatisfied. He would have curled in on himself if he had been able to, but as it was Lust just lay there, suppressing sobs of humiliation and agony and frustration.

Alphys put the full container of liquid LUST on the table. "An acceptable quantity of the discharge has been collected. Subject's HP has returned to 100%. Correlation between discharged substance and HP loss has been noted." She came over to the table again, biting her lip. "Subject is showing signs of fatigue." That observation seemed to amuse her. She looked at the SOUL in her hand, tapping her index claw on the pointed tip, making Lust shudder. The lizard picked up a syringe with her free hand. "Now extracting a sample of Subject's magic." She stuck the needle into the center of Lust's SOUL, and began slowly drawing the bright purple substance out of him. Lust yelped when he felt the invasive and painful prick, watching as his magic was stolen from him, as if to add insult to injury.

Alphys removed the syringe, examining the sample. "Subject's magic type matches previous observation. However, there are observable impurities..." She let go of Lust's SOUL, letting it take it's place hovering over his ribcage, and moved over to the desk. Carefully, she squirted a small amount of Lust's magic onto a sheet of glass and slid it into place under her microscope. She inspected it. "Closer inspection reveals the impurities to be the discharge from before... and..." She stopped. "...D-d-DETERMINATION?!" Her stutter came back. She looked at Lust again, then back at the microscope. Taking the syringe in hand again, she shuffled quickly out of the room.

Lust lay there, catching his metaphorical breath. This could not get any worse.

After a few minutes, Alphys returned, looking at a sheet of print-off paper. She put the now half empty syringe down. Her composure was back. "MS readings confirm the presence of DT in subject. Readings also show minute traces of a secondary magic trait: yellow; JUSTICE." She looked at Lust with a sadistic grin. "The discharged substance has been confirmed to have similar consistency with DT, suggesting human origin." Lust didn't like that look in her eye.

"Moving on to experiment E1." Alphys turned around and wheeled over a large mechanical device, from which she took wires that ended in suction cups. She stuck them all over Lust; his skull, his ribs, his ilium, his spine, his humeri, and the bottoms of his feet. She even stuck one on his SOUL directly. Then the lizard booted up the machine, bringing it whirling to life. "Starting with 1 milliamp."

Lust felt the slow tingling of electricity. He closed his eyes. Compared to the rough treatment from earlier, it actually felt kinda nice. After a moment, the sensation got stronger, becoming uncomfortable. Lust opened his eyes again. Alphys was slowly turning the nob on the machine, the numbers on the display ticking up incrementally.

0.003  
0.004  
0.005  
0.006  
0.007  
0.008  
0.009  
0.01

Lust tensed. It was painful now. Very painful. His SOUL thrummed erratically, expressing the growing panic Lust was trying to fight down. His body went rigid. He could no longer see anything, never mind the display of the machine, but he knew the lizard was still increasing the amperage. Lust began screaming, begging her to stop. It hurt. It hurt everywhere. If he had had lungs, he probably would have been suffocating. His voice got louder and louder, shaking and shifting with the volts ripping through him. The heat came back, although for Lust, that was the least of his concerns. He was far more preoccupied with the _literal lightning_ pain making his body feel like it would shake apart, or burn to ash from the inside out, whichever came first.

To Alphys's delight, Lust's SOUL began dripping with the liquid ooze again. It wasn't all purple though: some of it was red.

Then there was a loud crash. The pain stopped. Lust went limp again, feeling hot and numb and shaken. He distantly heard someone talking. Whose voice was that? He felt hands on him, cold and firm. He smelled something like booze and hotdogs. The voice called his name.

Lust smiled softly. He was safe. He didn't have to be afraid anymore.

* * *

Red followed the sound of the screaming, feet as fast as his racing heartbeat. That couldn't be what he thought it was. _Who_ he thought it was. He scrambled around the corners of the maze like facility. One of his shoelaces came undone, so when he made a sharp turn he slipped on the offending string and crashed to the floor, bracing himself hard on his knees and elbows. He snarled a curse, pushed himself back up, and kept running, too pressed for time to retie his shoe.

Red skidded into the doorway of the experiment room. He saw Alphys, the skank, sitting on her stool next to her favorite electricity generator. She had her back to the door, all her focus on the familiar form locked on the table. Lust was screaming louder than ever, eye lights completely dark, body jittering stiffly, his SOUL hanging in the air above him, dripping vile ooze.

Red summoned an array of bones, throwing them into Alphys and the machine. The machine was smashed to pieces without trouble, sparking and sputtering in it's dying throws. Lust immediately went limp on the table. Alphys was sent flying, smashing hard into the wall. The force was enough to knock her unconscious. Red didn't pay her any more mind after that, running to Lust's side.

Red snatched at the wires attached to Lust's body, yanking them off violently. He used more bones to cut off the shackles, pulling Lust's off the table and onto the floor, against Red's chest. He carefully eased the skeleton's SOUL back into his body, almost flinching at the temperature. He felt that strange feeling that was like anger, but wasn't. "Hey! Pixie Stick! This ain't no time t' be sleepin'!!" Red CHECKed him.

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 1  
> HP 0.1 / 1  
> AT 1 | EXP: 0  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 10  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 0 | KILLED: 0  
  
Red twitched. Shit. "Ya fuckin' prick. Wake up! Asshole!" He shook him gently, patting his cheek. "Damn it, Lust, get th' fuck up!! Walk it off!!" Red realized he was screaming for nothing. He couldn't expect Lust to be in any condition to function after that. "Shit..." He put Lust carefully on the floor, and jumped quickly over to Alphys. Snarling with disgust, he forced himself to search through her musty unwashed labcoat. It was so gross. He doubted he would ever be able to get the stink of lizard off his hands again. Was this how Edge felt about his socks?

After far too long, Red found what he was looking for: a ring of keys. He clicked his teeth. He'd never been inside the holding area. That was the one place he had always avoided. He didn't like the idea of going in there now, but it was probably where the others were being held. And oh, did he have a few choice words for them!

Pulling away from Alphys, Red put his hand on Lust and shortcut to the area nearest the holding cells, just outside the front door. He fumbled with the keys, using the wrong one twice before the door would open. Inside was a large open area, full of shelves and boxes on which were scribbled dates in sloppy sharpie marker. Red slid Lust inside, then browsed the boxes until he found the one with the most recent date. Inside he found a pile of cell phones, tools, keys, a packet of cigarettes, and that bag of white powder that made Red scowl. Yup, this was the guys' stuff. He pulled the box off the shelf entirely and set it next to Lust before going through the second door.

There were the cells.

Red growled. "ANYONE WHO DON'T WANNA DIE, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM TH' BARS RIGHT FUCKIN' NOW!" He shouted. Summoning a large wave of bones, Red smashed them down the hall, slicing through the metal bars and stone walls like construction paper. As the smoke cleared, the inmates crawled out of their cells.

Justice shuffling out with a grin playing on her face. "About time!"

Comic jumped over the rubble and checked on Rus, who grinned. Stretch almost tripped over a stray bit of metal, but caught himself on the gash on the wall.

"Thanks, lil guy," Slim said, stepping over the remains of the bars of his cell. "Now how about a lil help with..?" He held up his wrists, shaking them slightly to make the chains jingle.

Red spun the key ring on one finger. "What I aught t' do is leave ya t' rot!" He snapped, coming closer. "Would serve ya right fer all th' trouble ya put me through!" He gripped the little black fob attached to the key ring and pressed it against Slim's shackles. He pressed the little yellow button, which sent a spike of energy into the shackles. They came apart at the imperceivable seams and fell to the floor with a clack. Red bent down and got the ankle cuffs too. "Now grab th' others and hike it back t' th' house. Ain't worth stayin' here longer 'n we gotta."

"We have to find Lust and Dance!" Stretch said. "They were taken-"

"I got 'm already." Red interrupted. "Twinkle toes is already at home, an' th' pixie stick's in th' next room."

Stretch relaxed, sighing with relief.

"Move it, Princess!" Red tossed Slim the key ring. "See ya there." He turned around and went back to Lust. Picking up the box of confiscated goods, Red put his hand on Lust's arm and took the shortcut home.

* * *

Dance lay on the couch, eyes closed, letting the adrenaline rush die off gradually. He had almost gone after Red, but he knew he would only get in the way. And if Red messed up, it would be better if Dance was still in a position to make a move. They couldn't all be caught at once.

Edge paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, grinding and snapping his teeth irritably. The soft noises were almost rhythmic, lulling Dance into a state of half sleep. Well, anything could have lulled him into sleep at this point. He had overextended himself again, like he always did when he danced. He had to be a showoff, had to put in that extra effort. It was frustrating, how his passion made him contradict his lazy, laid back nature. But if he was going to do something, he just couldn't let himself do less than his best. It must be the INTEGRITY in him.

After what seemed like a short time to Dance, and a long time to Edge, Red appeared in the Livingroom, a box in one hand and Lust's arm in the other. Edge almost tripped over them, inciting a string of curses and screaming.

"Watch where yer walkin'!" Red snapped.

"DON'T JUST POP IN OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE, THEN!!!" Edge snapped back. The brothers glared at each other, but neither one made a move. Eventually they both relaxed, the tension between them easing ever so slightly.

Red dropped the box onto the floor. "Found yer shit," He said to Dance. "See th' others get their shit back, wouldja?"

"They're coming?" Dance asked, surprised.

"Unless they get caught again. I ain't breakin' 'm out twice," he muttered. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he and Lust were gone.

Not a moment later, Slim popped in with the rest. They were all rubbing their bare wrists, having passed around the fob before coming back.

Dance smiled softly. The grumpy troll had pulled it off. Guess he was wrong about the guy. Maybe.

* * *

Red dumped Lust on his bed, sitting down next to him. He growled, digging his claws into the wall, twitching. He had wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as they were all free, but with Lust like this, that wasn't happening. He sat there, suppressing that not-anger feeling boiling in his nonexistent guts, looking at Lust and then looking away again.

Lust lay there, that contented smile on his face, for what seemed like forever.

Then Red heard it.

"Something wrong, sweetie..?" Lust's voice was soft, raw, and a little cracked.

Red snapped his head around, looming over the prostrate skeleton. "About damn time!"

Lust chuckled. "I wasn't asleep, just... uh... resting..."

"...Ya were awake th' whole time?"

"Yup..."

Red felt himself flush. "Why didn't ya say nothin'?!" He hissed.

"...It hurt too much to... sorry..."

Red opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut. Of course it hurt. "Does it still..?" He asked quietly.

"Not so much... Didn't mean to worry you..."

"I wasn't-!!" Red stopped. _Worry._ Was that the word? Was that the feeling that wasn't anger? He thought about it. Worry. _The feeling that occurs when something you value is threatened._ It made sense when applied to Edge. But why would he 'worry' over the guys? Over Dance, and Slim, and Stretch, and Comic, and Rus, and... Lust...

Lust opened his eyes, flexing his fingers experimentally. He still felt stiff and sore. But mostly, right now, he felt hot. "Hey... can ya do me a favor..?"

"Depends," Red muttered without thinking about it, still musing over his epiphany.

"Can you, uh... put your hand on my head?"

"What? Why?!"

"...it's cold..."

Oh. Red remembered what his little experience had been like. How hot it had been. Of course Lust must be feeling hot. It wasn't exactly safe to go roll around in the snow, either. Red hesitated, but gently pressed his left claw onto Lust's temporal bone. He almost flinched. It was like touching an overheated computer.

Lust purred at the touch. "Oh stars..." he murmured. It wasn't just the cold of the other skeleton's bones (although that was marvelous in and of itself). It was also the soft thrumming of his magic that Lust could feel just behind the bone, the gentle prick of the tips of his claws that drew attention away from less desirable sensations.

Red ground his teeth. "Ya need t' fuck, doncha?"

Lust blinked up at him. "Uh..."

Red twitched. "Well, ya want it or not??"

"You're not offering, are you..?"

Red flushed a bit. "I ain't paid ya back fer helpin' me..."

Lust lifted his arm, putting his hand over Red's on his head, and pulled it away. "I appreciate the offer... but you don't owe me anything... Any debt you might have had... was squared when... when you saved me..." He smiled. "So don't-"

"Then who th' hell's gonna do it?" Red growled, clutching at Lust's hand. "Ya can't shortcut like that, now can ya? How yer fuckin' movin's a mystery t' me." He leaned closer. "So. Who's gonna do it?"

Lust gulped. "I can ask-"

"Ya can ask _me_ ya lil bitch," Red hissed. "I'm right here, ain't I?" Red felt angry again. Only not angry. It wasn't 'worry', but it wasn't 'anger' either. Damn these assholes, inventing new feelings and throwing them at him. It was all their fault.

Lust blinked at Red, his SOUL swelling. Tears pricked at his eyes again. Here he was, a broken, shameless mess, and Red was trying to help. But where had he been when Red had needed help? He had been a coward. Everything that had happened today was because Lust was a coward and couldn't bring himself to say what needed to be said. He pulled himself up, clutching at Red's shirt, and just cried, hiding his face in the jacket that smelled of mustard and smoke.

Red froze. He hadn't expected that. He quickly let go of Lust's hand, thinking maybe he had squeezed too hard and hurt him. Lust stayed where he was, quivering, the moisture dripping down his face as he wheezed softly. He kept his hold on Red's hand, tightening the grip when Red let go. Red wasn't certain what to make of this.

Lust pulled himself together. He was starting to feel dizzy again. That wasn't a good sign. "...Alright..." He looked up at Red's glowing red eye. "I'm ready..."

"Ya mean..?"

Lust nodded. "Can you lead? I'm not, heh, _up_ for being on _top_ right now..."

Red felt a rush of something go through him, felt his grin split his face. "Ain't no other way with me, pixie stick."

Lust lay back, pulling Red on top of him. He felt more than saw Red straddle him, shifting his weight carefully on the bed. Lust purred, eyes drifting to half mast, his magic already pooling in his pelvis and mouth. Red took off his coat, tossing it to the floor, then rolled up the sleeves of his sweater to just above his elbows. Lust, wishing he would just throw the whole shirt away, reached up and pulled Red down closer. He pressed their frontal bones together, reveling in the closeness as he wrapped his arms around Red's neck. Red slid his head to the side, wrapping his mouth around Lust's neck, his tongue sliding against the grooves he had left behind the last time. Lust cried out, clutching at the back Red's sweater. Any thought that had been left for the pain in his body was swept away. There was nothing but the heat left, the need, the pleasure, the heady thrum of two SOULs beating as one. There was nothing left but him and Red.

Red supported Lust's head with one hand, leaning on that arm, while his other hand reached under his sweater and stroked at his spine. He couldn't do much if he didn't get himself going. He found that, being this close to Lust, it didn't take much. Soon the pants had to come off. He pulled away, ripping off the shorts and tossing them somewhere he didn't pay much attention to. He noticed Lust did much the same with his own pants.

Red pulled Lust up, flipping him over so he was on his hands and knees. Lust clawed at the mattress, shifting his stance and sticking his pelvis out. He was already soaked. Red gripped the other skeleton's ilium, getting into position. He slid in easy, gasping at the sensation. Lust moaned, biting onto his hand in a futile attempt to muffle himself. Red smirked, then began pumping, slowly at first, but gradually faster. Lust's voice started out as a whine, but became more of a gasp, being shocked out of him with each thrust. Red found himself working harder to wring those noises from him. It delighted him, for some strange reason, hearing that confident, proud, independent monster break and yield to his prowess.

_He didn't want anyone else hearing it, either._

That thought made Red pause. Why should he care? What did it matter? It isn't like he gave two shits about the monster under him. He had no reason to care. None at all. None. At. All.

"F-faster..!" Lust whimpered.

Red looked down. He had slowed his work, having distracted himself. He started up again, leaning forward more. He took one hand off of Lust's ilium and grasped his lumbar vertebrae, feeling another rush as Lust tightened around him. He slid his claws along the ridges, scratching delicately at the small spaces between them that only the very tips of his sharpened phalanges could reach. He felt the thrum of Lust's magic surge around him, heard the scream Lust muffled by burying his face in the mattress, saw the explosion of color and light as the monster reached ecstasy because of him.

Red wasn't far behind.

* * *

Stretch played with his newly recovered phone absently, watching Edge from the kitchen doorway. The aggravated monster was stress washing the dishes, occasionally pausing in his work, then shaking his head and scrubbing harder. Stretch had seen him snap a few of the poor plates in half. At least the silverware could be bent back into shape.

Eventually, however, Edge ran out of dishes. He put them away, twitching, still not satisfied. Stretch figured this was as good a time as any.

"Yo," he said lazily, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he stepped into the middle of the kitchen. "Can we talk?"

"ABOUT WHAT?" Edge snapped, crossing his arms.

"Your bro."

"ARE YOU GOING TO EXPLAIN HIS INFURIATING BEHAVIOR??" Edge asked, interest piqued.

Stretch sighed. "I think that's something better heard from him."

"THEN THIS CONVERSATION IS OVER!!" Edge snapped. He had no interest discussing his family matters with a stranger who was not going to be of any use. He was this close to breaking out into a fit of violence as it was, and he didn't want to ruin his house any more than he already had. He headed to leave the room, passing by Stretch.

"You gotta stop hitting him, Edge," Stretch said firmly.

Edge stopped. His fists clenched. "IF HE GETS HIT, IT'S HIS OWN DAMN FAULT."

"You want things to change, right?" Stretch pressed. Edge did not respond, but neither did he move. "If you want change, you have to start with yourself."

Edge turned to look at him. He did not say a word, simply looked Stretch up and down. Stretch felt the shiver of a CHECK, but he didn't move. Edge clicked his teeth, thinking. Then he turned back around and walked out of the kitchen.

As Edge passed the door, it was kicked in. "CAPTAIN!!" Vengeance screamed. "CAPTAIN, DID YOU SEE IT?!"

"YOU BITCH!!" Edge gripped Vengeance in BLUE magic and smashed her to the floor. "WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT BREAKING MY FUCKING DOOR IN?!?!"

Vengeance snickered. "Sorry, Captain."

Edge growled, but let her up. "WHAT ARE YOU SCREECHING ABOUT NOW?!?!"

Vengeance pulled out her phone and clicked a few buttons. She pulled up the video of Dance's little performance. "Look at THIS! It's all over the Undernet!!"

Edge watched. "YES. IT WAS ON METTATON'S SHOW EARLIER."

Stretch looked over their shoulders, blinking. "Can you send me that?"

"Just download it from the websi-" Vengeance stopped. She turned. She went pale. She scanned the room, taking in the others. She did the CHECKs. She went even paler. "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

"THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU BEFORE." Edge said.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!"

"EXACTLY."

"HOW DID THIS EVEN-?!"

"SANS."

Vengeance snapped her teeth shut. "Of course, _Sans_. It's always Sans."

Stretch pulled out his phone. "So, what website was it?"

"MTT.TV/HIGHLIGHTS." Edge provided, snorting.

"What are we talking about?" Comic asked from the couch, sandwiched between Rus and Justice.

"Dance did something interesting," Stretch said, amused.

"What did I do?" Dance asked, looking up from the toaster he was fixing. Edge had smashed it earlier by tossing it at the wall.

Vengeance blinked. "It's the guy!! It's the guy that-"

Dance pulled his hood up. " _Sonata_ big deal..."

Comic grinned. " _Sounds_ like someone's being modest!"

"SANS!!" Rus sputtered. "NONE OF THAT!!!"

"And~~~~ download complete!!" Stretch grinned.

"Erase that!!" Dance exclaimed.

"Naw, I've got too many people to _show_ this off to."

"This is definitely one for the _records_ ," Slim grinned, closing his phone. He had gotten his own copy.

Comic snickered, pressing buttons on his phone too. Rus and Justice looked over his shoulder.

"Woah..." Justice said in awe.

"THAT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE!!" Rus agreed.

"You're all assholes!!" Dance sighed, hiding further in his hoodie, face blue with embarrassment.

"Does that mean yer ready t' get outa here?" Red snickered from the second floor, leaning on the banister. Lust was next to him, a stupid giddy smile on his face that Slim recognized.

"Yes. Please." Dance groaned. He dropped the toaster to the floor and stood up.

Edge stormed up the stairs and snatched Red by the collar, dragging him into Edge's room.

Red rubbed his neck, grumbling as Edge shut the door. "What's this all about?"

Edge crossed his arms. "YOU THINK YOU ARE LEAVING WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION?!"

"Yup." Red said. "Yer too fuckin' dumb t' understa-" Red stopped. Edge had gripped him in BLUE magic.

"TRY ME." Edge said evenly.

"It's none o' yer fuckin' business where I fuckin' go!!" Red snarled.

Edge tensed, his claws itching to strike. However, Stretch's words stuck with him. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus. He could do anything. That included changing. "TELL ME THIS, THEN. ARE YOU COMING BACK?"

Red froze. "What?"

"DID I FUCKING STUTTER?!"

"What makes ya think I wouldn't?!"

"I SEE." Edge dropped him to the floor. "THAT IS ENOUGH FOR NOW."

"Boss..?"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE THEN!" Edge opened the door. "UNLESS YOU'VE DECIDED TO STOP BEING A FUCKING PRICK ABOUT YOUR DAMNED SECRETS, I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN BABYSIT YOUR FUCKING INTER-DIMENSIONAL GUESTS!!" He snatched Red's collar again and dragged him out the door.

Edge locked his bedroom door, still keeping hold of Red's collar, then dragged him down the stairs, dumping him next to the others.

Red rubbed his neck again as he watched his brother move to stand next to Vengeance, crossing his arms and glaring. Red glared back, taking hold of Lust's arm. "Let's go."

"What are they doing?" Vengeance asked, watching them make the link.

"THAT TELEPORTATION BULLSHIT SANS HAS BEEN HIDING FROM ME." Edge growled.

"He can _teleport_?!" Vengeance blinked.

"HE CAN APPARENTLY DO A LOT OF THINGS..." Edge sounded bitter. And angry.

Stretch sighed. Progress was progress, but there was still a long way to go with these two.

Comic lead the count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus concludes the Underfell Saga!  
> YAY! Progress!  
> YAY! Change!  
> YAY! Moving on!
> 
> [This site](https://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~p616/safety/fatal_current.html) was very informative about electrical currents.
> 
> MUSIC OF THE CHAPTER  
> [Alphys Takes Action](https://soundcloud.com/decimate-doom/alphys-takes-action)  
> [Dark Darker Yet Monster](https://soundcloud.com/sharaxsierra/undertale-remix-sharax-dark-darker-yet-monster)  
> ^^^ I alternated between these two during the Alphys scenes with Lust and Red. No idea why.
> 
> HEADCANON STUFF
> 
> So yeah, I did some thinking about Soul Traits. You know?
> 
> • DETERMINATION (red)  
> • BRAVERY (orange)  
> • JUSTICE (yellow)  
> • INTEGRITY (blue)  
> • KINDNESS (green)  
> • PERSEVERANCE (purple)  
> • PATIENCE (cyan)
> 
> [edit]  
> And I thought about what everyone was:
> 
> Comic & Stretch - Patience  
> Dance - Integrity  
> Lust - Perseverance  
> Slim - Bravery  
> Red - Kindness
> 
> ~ My headcanon is that Red hides his real trait (KINDNESS) either by expressing the DT in his system, or his magic is colored red by all the EXP he has. or maybe a combo of both. So nobody knows. And he HATES his trait. HATES. IT. and has told nobody, not even Edge. I mean, Kindness is the trait of selfless action, of giving of yourself for someone else, of doing for others even if it means hurting yourself. and i think that fits the Red I've been writing here to a T. even if he goes about it in a very stupid way.
> 
> ~ All Judges have a secondary trait (JUSTICE).
> 
> ~ Edge is going to try making things better between him and his bro again. maybe it'll stick this time. although i think that depends on Red
> 
> ~ Is that Red feeling things?? Maybe. He doesn't know it yet but maybe.
> 
> ~ Alphys is going to feel that in the morning


	27. When Plans are Altered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Lust is on his back again, Red is bitchy, and Dance drools a little. Also Stretch is given a slice of pie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter decided it wanted to be a gerk and rewrite itself halfway through. So I'm sorry it's so late (and short-ish)

As Lust made his part of the big shortcut, something felt off. His magic did not move like he expected it to. It felt heavy, slow, _foreign_ , and unusually potent. It tried to get away from him. It tried to go awry. Lust had to wrestle it into submission. The shortcut happened, eliciting that feeling of the world falling away around him, but his heart raced. He had messed up. He knew it. Something had gone wrong. What had he done? _What had he done???_

The world stopped shifting, and the group was in Comic's livingroom. Only, something was off. The color scheme was correct, but there was the scent of scones, flowers, and tea heavy in the air. In place of the Pet Rock was a snail in a little dish.

Lust felt a sudden weight, like molten led was running through his nonexistent veins, working outward from his chest and weaving its way to every bone in his body. His head swam with the pain it, knocking him off balance. He leaned into the nearest sturdy thing (Red), trying to keep his feet, hoping the feeling would pass.

"Woah..." Justice breathed, looking at the wall. She was completely entranced by the photos there, which showed a couple of goat-like monsters laughing and having fun.

"I think we messed up, guys," Stretch chuckled, scratching his maxilla.

"No shit, sherlock," Red snapped, on edge thanks to the smells. They reminded him too much of Asgore.

Slim sighed, pulling out the cigarette packet and lighting himself one with his meager fire magic. He took a long, calming drag, letting the smoke wisp out from his nasal passage, holding the stick between two fingers as he let his head loll back. "Wonder how this happened..."

Lust felt sweat slick down the back of his skull and down his neck. He felt his knees about to give out, and clutched feebly at Red's jacket for support, before losing his footing completely and dropping to the floor. Red had thought Lust was just being clingy (again) and had ignored the weight pressing on his side until it fell away, dragging at his arm.

Red looked down, bristling. "Shit-!" He went one knee, claws hovering over the downed skeleton, unsure what to do. He quickly decided on sitting him upright, leaning Lust up against his side, supporting him with his arm. "Wake up, idiot!" He hissed quietly.

Stretch sank to the floor, alarmed. He felt Lust's frontal bone. Warm and damp, and.. soft? Bone was not supposed to feel that soft.

"What's wrong with him??" Dance asked, worry tinging his voice as he shuffled closer.

"He said he was fine!" Red blurted defensively. "Said he was- fuck!"

Dance threw up a CHECK:

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 1  
> HP 1 / 1  
> AT 1 | EXP: 0  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 10  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 0 | KILLED: 0  
  
"See! He ain't hurt! There ain't no reason he should be-"

"Calm down, Red," Stretch said softly. "Getting worked up isn't going to help."

"Fuck you, I don't even-" Red stopped himself, taking a deep breath. He WAS getting worked up.

Rus looked over at Lust with worry. "MAYBE HE WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE COUCH??"

Stretch picked Lust up carefully. Red felt a guttural growl rumble in his chest, that not-anger-not-worry emotion bubbling, but he shoved it down and stood up, following Stretch to the couch. Stretch laid Lust out, resting his head against the arm of the couch furthest from the door. Red sat on that arm, poised almost like a cat ready to pounce. Stretch sat on the other end of the couch, not sure how to proceed. Dance tapped his foot nervously.

Slim took another drag. "There's still one thing ya haven't checked," he said softly.

Red bristled, glaring at him. He didn't want to look there. He didn't want anyone else looking there either. That was odd. Why should he care?

"What haven't we checked?" Justice asked, not getting it.

Comic flicked his hand, bringing out Lust's SOUL.

And instantly regretted it.

Lust SOUL was thrumming steadily, the purple glow strong. However, it was oozing a bright red liquid, droplets of it beading out of imperceivable pores like blood. Lust was filled with DETERMINATION.

"That explains the misfire..." Stretch thought out loud.

"THAT BITCH!" Red snarled, ripping up the couch arm under him with his claws, his phalanges tensing, going rigid as the rest of him shook with unrestrainable fury. "That skank! That whore! When I get back I'm gonna rip her fuckin' throat out!!"

Slim smiled softly. This was an interesting new development. Not Lust's condition, no, but Red's response to it. 

Dance stepped back. "This is..."

"We have to extract it, fast," Comic said evenly, his hands shaking.

"WHAT IS IT??" Rus asked, more alarmed from the reactions of the others than from the condition itself.

"Doesn't look healthy..." Justice thought out loud.

"How are we suppose ta extract it without any equipment??" Slim pointed out.

"Maybe we can squeeze it out?" Stretch said hopefully.

"Just cuz ya can squeeze out LT don't mean ya can squeeze out DT!" Red snapped. "They ain't th' same thing, damn it!"

"What choice do we have? You want to wait and see if he comes out of it himself?" Comic reasoned.

"He might not last long enough to assimilate..." Dance said flatly.

Red ground his teeth, his red eye flaring wildly, the magic pulsing violently. He snatched Lust's SOUL into his claws, careful to make sure he only pressed down with the flats. After a moment of making sure the sharp parts wouldn't dig into the sensitive pseudo-organ, Red pressed down.

And Lust screamed.

Red watched as the warm red liquid pooled under his digits, sliding down his fingers and into the joints of his knuckles and wrist. It felt disgusting, like puss from an infected sore, only it was getting everywhere, the bright red color staining his grey-white bones. Red again was reminded how much he actually hated the offensive hue. He barred down a little harder, making the trickle become a lazy stream. The sooner this was over, the better.

Dance kept an eye on Lust's HP. It ticked down a few fractions, but that was to be expected. Justice and Rus cringed away from the noises Lust made. Stretch put a hand on one of Lust's legs, feeling the sturdiness of the bone through the leather. It was still so soft, so malleable. Was this not working?

Lust's screams tapered off into whimpers and panting. He shuddered, he fingers twitching, clawing at the couch cushion. Red let up on the pressure, letting go of the SOUL. The small spasms that wracked Lust's body eased, and he relaxed hack into the couch as his SOUL returned to him.

Red looked at his hand, at the way the gelatinous discharge clung and congealed to his bones. He would have wiped his hand off on his clothes, but the thought of walking around in clothes with DT stains on them made even someone as slovenly as himself recoil. He held his hand away from him, tilted so the goop would not slide further down his arm and into his sleeve, and slid off the arm of the couch, heading towards the kitchen. He needed to wash it off.

Stretch looked over Lust, squeezing his leg still. Was he just imagining it, or were his bones more firm?

Dance sighed in relief. Lust's HP was low, but not 0. And now that his SOUL wasn't being squeezed, it wasn't dipping any lower.

Red came out of the kitchen, hand as clean as he was ever going to get it again. It still smelled faintly of DT (because the only soap he could find in the kitchen smelled of buttercups and that was equally bad). He was grateful none of the mess had gotten on his cloths.

Slim looked out the window. "It's midday here... The time of this place is off."

"A lot of this place is off," Dance observed.

"It's all a matter of perspective," Comic said.

"WILL AFFECTIONATE BROTHER BE ALRIGHT??" Rus asked.

"I think... I think so..." Stretch said. "He looks like he's feeling better..."

Red took his spot on the arm of the couch again, looking down at the skeleton who had drifted into a peaceful sleep. "He damn well better be!" He growled, claws sliding along the tears they had made earlier in the fabric of the couch.

"Shouldn't we think of moving?" Slim pointed out. "We don't wanna be here when whoever lives here comes back, do we?"

"What if this place is dangerous? Where do we go?" Dance reasoned. "At least if we stay here, there is a chance no one will see us."

"And if they do come back, isn't it easier to argue our case with them? As opposed to someone else?" Stretch pointed out.

"We can't assume they will be reasonable," Comic said flatly.

"Moving Lust right now is not an option," Stretch reminded them.

Justice looked back at the pictures on the wall. They made her smile. Whoever lived here couldn't be all that bad, if they had pictures of people that happy.

There was a soft click as the front door was unlocked.

Inside came a jittery little goat girl, wearing a simple light purple dress and dark purple windbreaker with a grey hood. She was short, no taller than Comic, with glassy purple-pink eyes with little red lines that showed she hadn't been getting enough sleep. There was a slight darkening of the fur underneath them, further supporting the theory. She sighed, the tension in her shoulders lessening ever so slightly as she came into the house, the trembling of her snow white fur reduced to the occasional twitch. She leaned against the inside of the door, forehead braced against the wood, her hand still on the inside knob, doing breathing exercises.

The room was silent, holding its breath.

Then Rus opened his mouth. "HELLO!"

The goat monster jumped a good three feet in the air, throwing herself into the wall next to the snail. She pressed her back up against it, paws clutching uselessly at the wood behind her, her eyes now wide with alarm. She let out a terrified shriek, her knees shaking so hard it was a wonder she managed to remain standing.

Dance's jaw dropped. It was Tori. She was smaller, and more skittish, but he would recognize that face, that voice, _those eyes_ , anywhere. Stars, she was beautiful. His SOUL quivered, the music he wanted share with her thrumming just below the surface. _It was Tori!_

Toriel had to remind herself to breath. "W-w-who are you?! What are you doing in my house?! What do you want?! What-" She got her eye sight to focus. The shock had almost made her black out. She blinked to moisten her sore eyes. "Y-your majesty? U-Undyne?"

Justice raised an eyebrow. She didn't know this monster. She didn't recognize anything about this monster, except maybe a vague resemblance to Asgore. She had to remind herself that they were in another universe, and that this monster had probably mistaken her for the 'Undyne' of this world. But who had she mistaken for the king?

Toriel made herself relax, clutching at her chest with one paw. "P-please don't _fur_ -ighten me like that! I wasn't expecting to you to be _hair_." She chuckled softly. The jokes helped with her anxiety.

Dance grinned wider. That was Tori. He felt his face flush, his smile getting even wider.

Comic chuckled. "Good one..."

That made Toriel look up again. She had more guests than just Undyne and the King. Strange, though, that voice sounded so familiar. "Who are..?"

Stretch scratched his cheek. "This is going to be harder to explain than I thought..."

"Then don't bother," Red grumbled. "So long as she don't cause trouble, who cares?"

"Seems kinda rude to rip up someone's couch and not even give them your name, doesn't it?" Slim snickered, sticking the cigarette between his teeth.

"Go fuck yerself!" Red snapped, flipping him off.

"Don't project on me, lil guy," Slim teased. Red flushed, snarling wordlessly.

Rus looked behind him at Red, eyeing the rips his claws had made, then back at Toriel. "I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE COUCH! WE'LL FIX IT!"

Toriel smiled weakly. "It's alright. Don't worry about it..." She was still rather confused and shaken. "Excuse me for a moment..." Toriel slipped into the kitchen, gripping the refrigerator door with both paws and taking deep breaths. After slowing her heart rate back to acceptable levels, she reached into the fridge and pulled out a can of spray whip cream, which she shook and squirted directly into her mouth. The fluffy sweetness took the edge off, giving her something to focus on besides all the hundreds of horrible reasons she now had skeleton monsters in her living room.

Still, an inconsistency tugged at the back of her mind. She put the whip cream back in the fridge, closing the door softly and leaning against the appliance. Undyne. Why was Undyne here? Wasn't she training with Gory? Why was she here, then? Unless-

Toriel felt her pulse quicken again, her insides twisting and tightening, a dizzying nausea sweeping over her. No, no, no, nothing had happened to him. Nothing. Had happened. To Asgore. He was fine. He was just... practicing alone. Yeah, thats it. Alone. Not hurt. Not d- not anything bad. Her brother was fine. _Her brother was fine._

Toriel fought down her panic. Panicking wasn't going to help. There was an easy way to solve this. She pulled out her phone, her hands shaking so badly she barely managed to dial the number. The dial tone turned to ringing. Once. Twice.

"HOWDY SIS!" Asgore's cheerful voice came from the other line. "WHAT IS IT??"

Toriel sighed with relief, sagging to the floor, running one paw over the fur between her tiny horns. "Oh, nothing... I just wanted to call and say hi..."

"OH? WELL, HI!" Gory sounded unsure, but he didn't question it. "I GOTTA GO NOW, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAINING WITH UNDYNE! SEE YOU AT HOME!" He hung up.

Toriel froze. He was with Undyne. But, Undyne was here. But he was with Undyne. But Undyne was here. How? She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and crawled over to the doorway, eavesdropping on the ones in the livingroom.

"I still think we should leave," Slim said. "No need ta burden the poor lil thing."

"We can't move Lust right now," Stretch said again.

"Besides," Dance added, "Tori is someone we can trust."

Toriel blinked. How did they know her name? Had the king told them? And who was he to use her nickname so casually? And why did his voice sound so... familiar... Where had she heard it before? It was driving her crazy, not being able to place it.

"We don't know that, twinkle toes!" Red sneered. "Fer all you know, she's a fuckin' crackpot who makes lava lamps out o' monster dust!"

"Tori would NEVER-" Dance howled.

" _Your_ Tori, maybe," Comic corrected. "But Red is right, we can't assume what she is really like, no matter what she looks like... There are infinite possibilities..." He rubbed his arm, his eye lights fading out for the briefest moment. He pointedly didn't look at Rus.

"I THINK WE SHOULD ASK HER FOR HELP!" Rus said. "SHE SEEMED VERY NICE!!"

"And if she doesn't want to help strangers?" Slim asked.

"THEN WE WILL BECOME FRIENDS!" Rus said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm siding with Papyrus," Undyne said. "My gut says she's alright."

"An' if she ain't," Red grinned. "We can always Dust her."

Toriel felt her heart drop. Oh stars, they were going to kill her! Had she done something wrong? Had she broken the law without realizing?? She had to get out of there, before-

"No Dusting!" Dance said, irritated. "Can't you react with anything besides violence?!"

"Nope." Red answered. "It's easier that way."

"This is why you have a fucked up relationship with your brother!" Dance retorted.

"Leave Boss outa this, unless ya wanna see if RESETs will save ya here!"

"You wanna dance, pal? 'Cause I've got a eulogy that would be perfect for-"

"That is enough, children!" Stretch interrupted, putting on his Big Brother voice. "We have to do whats best for Lust right now. And at the moment, that means staying put until he wakes up. Or do you want to try a jump while we're one man short?"

The room went quiet.

"That's what I thought," Stretch said quietly.

Toriel squeezed her little paws into fists. Whoever they were, they knew about the RESETs. That was alarming. Did they know about the human, too? How did they find out? Do they also remember- remember...

"That still begs the question," Comic reminded them, "of what we say to the lady."

"I RECOMMEND THE TRUTH! THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE BEST OPTION!!"

"And if she doesn't believe it?" Slim asked.

"WHY SHOULDN'T SHE?? WHY WOULD WE LIE??"

"Did _you_ believe it at first?"

"WELL... NO..." Rus sounded a bit dejected.

"I did," Justice reminded them.

"You would," Red muttered.

"WHAT WAS THAT, PUNK?!" Justice snapped, spear coming into her hand.

"That was me remindin' ya that I kicked yer ass before an' I'll do it again!"

"JUST TRY, PUNK!! NGAAAAHHH!!" Justice smashed her spear into the floor, making a hole in it. Toriel cringed. That was going to be harder to fix.

"Red," Stretch said, trying to maintain his even tone, "I get that you're worried about Lust, but please st-"

"I AM NOT FUCKIN' WORRIED ABOUT TH' FUCKIN' SLUT!!!"

"-op picking fights with everyone. It isn't helping."

Red grumbled a string of profanities under his breath, clicking his teeth irritably.

" _Tibia_ -nest, we're pretty _boned_ ," Comic said.

Toriel covered her mouth, suppressing a laugh. No way. It couldn't be...

"SANS!! DON'T START!!"

"We'll just have to make the _breast_ of it," Stretch returned, chuckling.

"NOO!!"

"I think telling the _tooth_ is the best option, now," Dance snickered.

"I think ya lost yer fuckin' _mind_ ," Red muttered.

"Quit your _skull_ -king, lil guy," Slim drawled.

Toriel couldn't hold it in anymore. Her giggling bubbled up, squeezing out from behind her lips and out from behind her paws. She shook with it, moisture forming in her eyes, her unease melting away briefly as she finally gave in to hysteria. Those puns were so bad! She couldn't stand it!

The livingroom went quiet.

"Welp, guess she's _all ears_ now," Comic grinned.

The laughter from the kitchen intensified.

Toriel waited until she had herself composed before getting up. The least she could do was play a good host to the king of the underground. She went over to the counter and cut a slice of pie, putting it on a plate and slinking back into the livingroom, feeling a little ashamed. She had been caught eavesdropping, and that was rude. Toriel hesitantly, carefully, walked over to the couch, holding out the pie slice to Stretch. "M-my apologies, your majesty. I didn't recognize you with such, uh, casual dress..."

Stretch went rigid. A hissing, sputtering noise bubbled from his ribcage. He held his face with one hand, gripping his hoodie with the other. His whole body shook, making a soft rattling noise. It was too much. He burst out laughing, throwing his head back, the hand on his face covering his eyes.

Toriel blinked. "Uh... your majesty..?"

Comic devolved into laughter behind her, hugging himself. Dance pulled his hood up, trying not to laugh and failing. Red snickered, his claws in front of his face, constricting and retracting as he tried to contain himself. Slim dropped his cigarette, howling, remembering just in time to step on the bud so the house didn't catch fire. Even Undyne found it humorous, sitting on the floor cross-legged so she didn't fall over, smacking her knees in a staccato beat with her mirth. Rus rolled his eyes, not seeing how a simple misunderstanding was so funny, a little embarrassed by association for his brother's shameless cackling.

"King Papyrus..? Are you alright..?" Toriel was now concerned that she had done something to humiliate herself in front of the king. Sweat began to bead under her fur, droplets sliding down the thin strands and shimmering on the ends around her neck and ears.

The phrase 'King Papyrus' sobered Comic and Dance up real quick. The phrase brought less than pleasant memories bubbling to the surface of the two skeletons' minds. Not that they thought 'Papyrus' was a bad king (far from it), but they knew what it cost to get him into that position, and what a terrible weight the crown was when it sat upon their brother's shoulders.

Strange. They had both long since stopped thinking of Stretch (or Slim for that matter) as 'Papyrus'.

Stretch struggled with his outburst until he calmed down, a satisfied breath leaving him. That had been a good laugh. "Sorry, kiddo, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I'll gladly accept the pie though." He held out his hand, smiling. "I don't think we've met properly. Call me Stretch."

Toriel let him take the pie. "Uh... I'm- I'm, uh..." Toriel took another deep breath. It was alright. She was just saying her name. She could do that much. "I'm Toriel. Toriel Dreemurr."

Red lost all his joviality, snarled wordlessly, his claws digging back into the couch. The name 'Dreemurr' was more than enough to bring his fury to the surface. If he had anything in common with Vengeance (besides a devotion to Edge), it was his hated for Asgore. Toriel flinched, clueless as to the cause of that reaction.

Stretch and Slim exchanged looks. They had never met the Queen personally, but they knew her name. What kind of world was this, then?

Dance's face lit up a soft blue. Hearing her name was still a joy.

Comic put on his friendliest smile. "Uh, nice to meet ya, Tori...el" He corrected himself. He was so used to saying 'Tori' it felt odd saying her full proper name.

"Yeah... Nice to meet you... heh..." Dance mumbled, hiding further in his hoodie to try and minimize how ridiculous he must look, glowing like a blue nightlight and grinning stupidly.

"IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, MISS TORIEL!!" Rus expressed. "WE ARE SO VERY SORRY FOR THIS INCONVENIENCE!!"

"It- it isn't an inconvenience... I love guests..." She lied. It wasn't that she disliked having people over, but it made her nervous. So many things could go wrong. She was not confident in her ability at being a good host. Although, to be fair, she wasn't very confident about anything (except her baking and knitting, and maybe her jokes). It didn't help that they were all strangers, albeit very familiar looking (and sounding!!) strangers. "I, uh, didn't catch your names, though..."

"We didn't throw them," Dance pointed out, grinning wider (if that was possible). Toriel cracked a smile. Dance's heart leapt. He really liked his own Toriel, who was tall and regal and elegant, an ageless beauty beyond compare, but this compact Toriel... She was shrouded in an aura that screamed out for help, the pull so strong it had him almost manic. He wanted to pick her up and hold her to him, to draw his phalanges through the soft fur at her neck and play with the ears that were just a little to long for her build, hanging off her shoulders instead of just brushing them. He wanted to cuddle her in his lap and whisper jokes to her in a calming voice until the laughter came back into her eyes. He wanted to draw her into a dance that left her breathless and giddy, then shower her with affection. He wanted to rock her to sleep, to stand watch over her and chase away the nightmares her bloodshot eyes were shadowed over with. How can any single monster manage to be so stars damned cute, so strong, so proud, and yet so fragile?

"-And the one using your couch as a scratching post? That's Red." Comic finished. Dance had missed the introductions while he had been getting drunk off Toriel's presence.

"You, um... Really remind me of his majesty... Are you perhaps relatives of his?" Toriel asked, trying to keep her mind from spinning. She had to get some answers. Focus. Focus.

"That might not be too far from the truth..." Slim mused out loud, pulling out a new smoke.

"Can I ask where you're all from?" Toriel requested.

"Ya won't believe us if we tell ya," Red muttered, still aggravated. He didn't, _couldn't_ , trust the furry monster. Every bone in his body rejected the idea. His crimson eye keep a close watch on her, daring her to make a wrong move. Toriel shivered under the gaze.

"Are you familiar with Multiverse Theory?" Stretch asked.

"Sorta..." Toriel was buffeted with the memory of books filled with large, complicated words and intimidating mathematical equations; of the smell of coffee and buttercups; of a warm smile and gentle hand caressing her head; of a voice explaining advanced scientific principles in such a way that even her child's mind could understand it, making her imagination run wild with possibilities and hope. A lump formed in her throat, which she fought down. "That's not really my specialty, though... And my memory is a bit _fuzzy_..."

"Well, the idea is that there are multiple, theoretically infinite, possibilities, which express themselves as reality in various alternate dimensions," Comic said. "The point is, these different dimensions, realities, universes, exist separate from each other..."

"And that's where we're from," Stretch finished. "We're from alternate universes."

Toriel felt her mind go quiet. She wasn't completely sure if she understood. "Then how could you be related-?"

"CHECK us, kiddo," Slim suggested.

The seemingly unrelated idea threw Toriel off, but she did it anyway. What she saw was rather mind boggling. Their names were 'Papyrus' and 'Sans'! All of them! All of them (except for the one Undyne) were named 'Papyrus' or 'Sans'. She pushed down her knee jerk reaction to deteriorate into hysterics. Okay, so alternate versions of the royal family from different dimensions were in her livingroom. Interdimensional travel was a thing. That wasn't unusual. Or terrifying. No, it was perfectly fine. Perfectly fine. She was fine. Okay, no, she was not fine. She was not fine. It was all going to go wrong. _There were now infinite possibilities for how life could go horribly, horribly wrong, and **Murphy's Law was going to drop kick her into the deepest darkest hell it could find** , and-_

Toriel felt heart pound so hard in her chest it hurt. Her vision blurred, blackening at the edges. Her blood rushed so fast the sound of it drowned out all other noises. She sank to her knees, clutching at her face, hyperventilating as she fell into a panic attack.

Dance jumped forward, gripping Toriel's shoulders, pressing his frontal bone against her forehead. "Tori?! Tori, calm down. It's alright. It's alright. Remember to breath. Tori. Tori, Shh..." His voice went soft, calming, low. He murmured gently, putting one hand over hers and sliding his fingers between the digits of her paws. "Listen to me. You're right here, and nothing is wrong. Breath... It's not so bad... You're alright..."

The skeleton's voice gradually broke through to the goat monster. Toriel found his familiar baritone soothing, the way his words transitioned like cream from one to the next relaxing, as though part of a gentle melody that she could not remember the tune of. She gulped down one jagged breath. Then another. Her eyes slowly began to refocus, her shaking diminishing until there was only the slightest quiver besides her heaving chest.

Dance sighed in relief. She was responding. Seeing Toriel shatter like glass was not something he could have stood by and watched without doing something, but he hadn't been sure if the same method that worked when he had nightmares would help with her condition. He was glad it had.

Toriel closed her eyes, doing her breathing exercises to slow her pulse back down even further. She needed to pull herself together. The cold, bony hand supporting her cheek was gentle. Surely, if these monsters were like this... maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all... But there was still more she needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND WOOOH! ALTERTALE! We're officially in AlterTale! I've been waiting for this!!
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> Altertale by [friisans](http://friisans.tumblr.com/atmasterpost)
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> God my writing is so bad this is awful garbage my portrayal of AT!Tori is bad so bad so bad bad bad.
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> ~AT!Tori is a chemist imo. Its science cooking. And she love to bake. She is also a PERSEVERANCE type.
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> ~ Dance is so fucking smitten jfc The Soriel
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> ~ Red, stop fucking up the couch! You aren't a cat! (although that would be cute lol)


	28. An Alter in Perception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Comic pieces together what kind of world they are in, and there is Pie. Also a goat gets scared shitless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ FANART!!! InsomniaticFrenchToast Sent Me FANART!!!! LOOKIE LOOK LOOK LOOK!!! _It's beautiful!!! **LOOK AT IT!!!!**_ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!](https://kamari333.tumblr.com/post/161533886499/insomniaticfrenchtoast-this-took-forever-plz-let)
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> Between this ^^^ glorious work and a clusterfuck of inspiration for related stories that insisted on being written down, this took way longer to write than it should have. Sorry or the wait. :)

Toriel let the sore muscles of her back relax a bit, coming out of her panic attack. She opened her eyes, only to be met with tiny white lights in fields of darkness. The glowing points jittered back and forth between shapes, shifting from small white dots to large inverted hearts and back again, their glow pulsing faintly of a deep blue more vibrant than any she had seen before. It took her a moment to realize what it was she was actually looking at: the magical eyes of a skeleton monster that was very, very, _very_ close. So close, his skull was pressed against hers, the air that flowed through his nasal passage tickling the tips of the fur on her muzzle, his teeth factions of inches away from her own.

Toriel realized it must have been his voice that had called out to her. She felt the cold touch against her hand and cheek where his phalanges were pressed. She had dimly realized someone had been touching her but it hadn't really sunk in how CLOSE they had to be to actually do that or what that implied. She felt the soft thrum of his magic, flowing just out of reach. Her whole body got hot, the pale skin under her fur flushing a brilliant red, which tinted her white fur a soft pink from head to toe, the effect especially apparent in her face, where the fur was thinnest. Her body went still, rigid, her mind racing with repetitive observations and internal screaming.

"Better?"

The smooth baritone voice came seemingly out of nowhere, but Toriel could tell it was produced from the monster who had her so compromised and flustered. She swallowed, making a inarticulate noise of affirmation. She saw, or perhaps sensed, a slight upturn in the semi-malleable substance at the corners of his mouth, the skeletal equivalent of a smile.

Dance carefully pulled himself (reluctantly) away from the goat monster, sticking one hand in his hoodie pocket, while the other tugged the hood lower, shielding his eyes from view. "Good..."

Toriel did not have the presence of mind to move quite yet.

Stretch smiled. "Good job, Dance."

"IS MISS TORIEL GOING TO BE OKAY??" Rus asked, concerned.

"I think so, bro," Comic soothed him. "Just let her have a minute."

Toriel stood back up, brushing herself off in an attempt to hide how badly she was still shaking. "So, uh..." She had to ask another question before she lost her nerve. "How did you manage to get here..?"

Stretch hesitated to answer. The last revelation had nearly broken the fragile monster. He didn't want to push them too hard.

"We can teleport," Slim said. Stretch shot him a dirty look. "And when we do it at the same time, the rips in Space-Time resonate and allow for travel between universes."

"Okay," Toriel played with the zipper of her windbreaker. That was an odd thought. Someone else could use shortcuts like her. So they could pop up, just about anytime, anywhere, without any warning, and do- do- No, no no no, don't think about it. Do not think about it. Question. Ask another question. "So why did you come to my house?"

"It was an accident," Comic admitted. "I was, uh, driving, and I aimed for _my_ house, back in _my_ universe. But there was some unexpected interference, and we got... Pulled to one side? See, in my universe, these are the coordinates for where my house is..."

"You don't live at the castle?" Toriel asked, surprised.

"Of course not," Comic said, "We're not royalty."

That threw Toriel for a loop. She couldn't imagine a world where Papyrus was not King. Then again, she never imagined that alternate realities were a thing either. Okay, maybe she had once, when she was little, but it hadn't crossed her mind since- since... Thinking about how bad it could get in her own world was more than enough. She couldn't handle the idea of infinitely more horrible things going wrong.

Stretch picked up the pie slice and casually bit into the tapered end. He chewed a bit, before the flavor hit him: Cinnamon and Butterscotch swirl, with a fluffy, subdued crust. His eye lights lit up. "Stars..!" He bit into it again. It was better than Muffet's by a wide margin, and coming from Stretch, that was saying something.

Slim eyed the skeleton's reaction. "Gonna share..?"

"Not on your life, pal," Stretch replied, stuffing the last of it into his mouth. "I don't like you _that_ much."

"You should really work on your self-loathing." Slim teased, not taking it personally.

"I'm too lazy to loath. it's more like self-apathy."

"But ya aren't too lazy for self reflection."

Toriel shuffled back to the kitchen, coming out again with a pie in both hands. "I-if you like... There is plenty where that came from..."

Stretch grinned. "Don't mind if I do!" He flicked his hand, the pie with a piece missing rising from Toriel's palm and zooming over to him with the glow of BLUE magic. Toriel jumped a bit, not expecting her pies to start flying around without warning. Stretch dug in with much gusto. He hadn't had anything sweet for what felt like ages. He didn't even care that he looked like a childish slob, eating pie with his bare hands straight from the tin. It wasn't honey, but it was still sugar, and damn did he miss it.

Slim made a bone cut a slice from the second pie, floating the piece over and taking it from the air. He stuffed the whole thing in his mouth at once, used to eating quick and dirty. His eyes drifted shut, enjoying the sweetness. It had been too long for him too. Oh, sure, his smokes were perfectly good at keeping the edge off of most any situation (barring some extremes), but almost nothing made him feel more relaxed, more secure, than the sticky sweetness clinging to the back of his teeth, biting into his enamel and fogging up the inside of his skull. For the briefest moment, he could almost pretend he was home. He pulled the pie still in Toriel's hand to him with BLUE magic, scarfing it down like a he hadn't eaten in days.

Toriel smiled nervously, going back to get more pies. For such skinny monsters, skeletons sure could eat..!

Justice started laughing, seeing the faces the two sugar addicts were making. "C'mon! It can't be THAT good!"

Comic snickered. "Guess Tori's cooking is a universal constant, too..."

Dance looked at him. "You've eaten her cooking??" His jealousy simmered just under his control.

"Sure! Best snail pie in the whole damn underground. Or anywhere, if I had to take a guess." Comic grinned. "The butterscotch-cinnamon pie is pretty good too, but then again, I can't find fault in anything she cooks."

"IS THERE A MISS TORIEL IN OUR UNIVERSE TOO??" Rus asked. "HAVE YOU MET HER?? WILL YOU INTRODUCE ME??"

Comic smiled sadly. "Don't worry, bro. You'll meet her someday. And I promise, it'll be the best day of your life."

"WOWWIE!! I CAN'T WAIT!!"

Toriel came back, carrying two more pies. She offered one to Comic, and the other to Dance. Comic took it with a grin, turning around and offering for Rus and Justice to partake. Rus took a slice politely, taking a bite. He looked down at it in surprise. Rus wasn't usually one for sweets (he hadn't had much contact with them that he could recall) but this was actually rather pleasant. Justice took one, curious as to all the fuss. She froze mid chew, the flavors sitting on her tongue, making her tastebuds tingle. Her eyes got a little wide. Comic smirked knowingly, taking a piece from himself. It was different than he remembered, lacking the subtle nuance that came from decades of experience, but it was no less delicious for it.

Dance had to focus on not shaking. He was holding Tori's cooking in his hands. _He was holding Tori's cooking._ He pulled up a piece, biting in. His whole body shivered. It was _divine_ , the creamy body caressing his conjured tongue. He could taste the residual traces of fire magic embedded in the crust, like carbonation that bubbled in his mouth and settled in his SOUL. His eyes drifted shut, savoring the taste, the feeling, the experience. This was what beautiful music tasted like.

Comic held out the tin in his hand to Red. "Want some?"

Red sneered at it, turning his head away. "Not interested."

Comic raised an eyebrow. "It isn't poison, you know."

"Eat it yerself, then."

"Since when do you turn down food?"

"Since when does it fuckin' matter what I don an' don't eat??"

"Just trying to be nice, bud. No need to get defensive."

"I'M NOT GETTIN' FUCKIN' DEFENSIVE!!" Red snapped.

Comic blinked at him. "Alright, whatever you say..." He pulled the pie away. "We can save it for Lust then."

Red looked back down at the unconscious monster, his irritation manifest in the flickering light of his red eye.

Toriel backed away a bit, leaning with her back against the wall beside the TV stand. "If you don't mind me asking... Um... I heard you say something about RESETs?"

"Nice going, Red," Dance muttered.

"Fuck you," Red returned.

Slim signed, { _Do you think she knows?_ }

Toriel stared at the motions without comprehension. She could tell from the deftness of the motions that it was a form of communication, but she couldn't understand a bit of it.

Stretch signed back, { _No idea. Do we spill?_ }

{ _We should err on the side of caution._ } Comic interjected, eyeing Rus.

"Stop with the funky sign language!!" Justice groaned. "And answer her question!! You punks haven't told us anything about that stuff either!!"

Rus wiped a few crumbs from his teeth, looking at Comic with a sad expression. It was just one more secret that his brother was keeping.

Toriel took a deep breath. "You do not have to answer if you are not comfortable... But could you at least tell me... Do you remember?"

Dance licked a few bit of pie off his fingers. "Yeah. We remember." His voice was bitter, sorrowful, strained yet quiet. "Do you?" Toriel nodded. Dance felt a part of his insides twist. That explained why she was so stressed, so fragile. "How many times..?"

The room was quiet now, filled with a solemn, sombre atmosphere that even Justice picked up on.

"...That depends on what you're asking, I think..." Toriel said after a moment. "Total? I can't recall anymore."

Dance nodded softly. "I figured." The two monsters, so different and yet so alike, looked back at each other across the room.

"Hows about you answer a few questions for us, now?" Slim asked, breaking the silence. "Do you live alone?"

Toriel coughed, looking away from Dance. "No, I live with my brother. He isn't home right now..."

Slim clicked his teeth thoughtfully. He had been afraid of that. Just another complication.

"YOU HAVE A BROTHER?? WHAT IS HE LIKE??" Rus sounded excited.

Toriel grinned, genuinely. "He's the coolest!"

"Don't that sound familiar..." a soft voice drifted through the air.

Red snapped his head down. "About fuckin' time, asshole."

Lust grinned up at him. "Did I scare ya?"

"Hell no!" Red snapped.

"You alright?" Stretch asked.

"It hurts everywhere, but yeah." Lust slung his arm over his eyes, chuckling. "I'm used to being on my back anyway."

"Two kinds o' bitches in this world, an' you manage t' be both of 'em..." Red muttered.

Lust smiled. "Don't you mean three?"

Slim choked back a laugh that tried to escape at the look on Red's face. "He's fine."

Comic passed Lust the last of the pie. Lust took it, confused but grateful. He ate it without sitting up, licking crumbs off his face with his elongated tongue. "Stars... that..."

"Best thing you ever ate, right?" Comic finished.

"Better than Muffets," Stretch agreed.

"Better than booze," Slim agreed.

"Better than sex," Lust let slip as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Everyone looked at him, Toriel once again practically glowing pink. Lust chuckled. "Okay maybe not quite, but pretty close!" He stretched his arms over his head, making his shirt shift upward a bit and expose more of his ribcage. Toriel flushed even more. "So, where did we land? Anywhere fun?"

"We got stuck with a neurotic marshmallow 'n a house that smells like suicide," Red growled. "Now get yer useless ass back int' shape so we can get th' hell out o' here!"

"Marshmallow..?" Lust looked around. His eyes fell on Toriel. "Well, hello~~!" His voice got sultry and low, his eye lights taking on that iconic purple hue, shaping like little hearts. "I don't believe we've met..." Toriel flushed even more, her eyes going glassy as she was lost in her own internal screaming.

Dance stepped between them. "Knock it off," he hissed.

Lust raised an eyebrow. "What? Am I not allowed to say hello?"

"Don't play cute with me," Dance said, shoulders shifted forward slightly. "You know what you were doing."

Lust chuckled. Oh, so that's what it was. That was adorable. "Do I?" He asked, crossing his legs, his grin spreading across his face. "I wonder..."

Dance's feet twitched, wanting to kick at something. "I mean it."

Lust held up his hands in supplication, an action he had been doing a lot lately. "Alright, alright, I give! Hands off the marshmallow!" He grinned. "Although I wasn't planning on using my hands..." His tongue flicked out over his teeth, curing upwards as his eyelids slid down a third of the way. Toriel felt like steam was coming off of her body, her legs giving out as she slid to the floor, dizzy.

Dance ground his teeth, glaring daggers at Lust. Lust broke into laughter at the two monster's reactions. To the side, Red was stewing, claws ripping new holes in the couch, for no reason whatsoever.

"Fuck this," Red growled. "I can't stand this fuckin' place no more. Text me when we're good t' leave." He snapped his fingers, disappearing.

Slim shrugged, snapping his own fingers. He had a feeling he knew where Red had gone to hide.

Toriel tensed. "Where did they go??"

Lust sighed. "Probably the Shed."

"The shed? Why?"

Stretch stood up, cracking the joints of his spine. "To smoke most like. I think I'll join them." He disappeared.

Comic looked at Rus, then back at Toriel, then at his hands. "I'll be back." He snapped his fingers, disappearing.

"I really hate it when they do that..." Justice grumbled.

"ME TOO!!" Rus agreed.

"What do we do now?" Justice asked nobody in particular.

"We could play cards," Lust suggested.

"We're not playing strip poker," Dance said flatly.

"I didn't even suggest-"

"You were thinking it."

"You know me so well, don't you?" Lust snickered.

Dance snorted. "We had best put our time here to good use. I'm gonna go scavenge. You rest."

"Whatever you say, darling," Lust purred, leaning back. He couldn't argue. He still felt drained, sore. The pie might have brought his HP back to normal, but it did very little for his magic levels.

Justice sighed, pulling out her phone and punching the button for the inventory box. Out of nowhere popped a deck of cards. "Always be prepared for anything."

Rus grinned. "GOOD THINKING, UNDYNE!!"

The two friends started playing.

Toriel blinked. All her guests were slowly disappearing.

Lust smiled. "If you're looking for Dance, he went to the Dump."

Toriel blushed, looking away. "Please excuse me..." She went into the kitchen.

Lust smirked. Maybe something good will come out of this, after all.

* * *

Comic looked up at the great stone doors. He knew it was probably foolish, but he had to know. Was he right? Was this world what he thought it was? And if so, did that mean..?

Comic walked up to the door, pressing his back against the stone, and slid down to sit in the snow, legs sprawled. Putting on a grin, he raised one hand, and rapped his knuckles against the stone over his shoulder. Once. Twice. He waited, listening. At first, nothing. He knocked again. Once. Twice. He listened, straining his ear canals for anything that remotely resembled the tells he was so familiar with.

Comic was just about to knock again when he caught it: that faint wisp of noise, like cloth swishing; the softest taps as something with cushion made its way across the stone floor; the gentle noise of something, or someone, sliding their body down to the floor against the other side of the door. Yes. They were there.

Comic raised his hand to knock one last time. His hand froze, inches from the stone; he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. What would it matter? What could he do in the end? And even if there were something, was it his place to meddle in the affairs of these people? He shook his head. No, he wasn't going to meddle. He just had to know. He had to be sure.

**_Knock. Knock._ **

Comic blinked, sighing. Guess he missed his chance to make the first move. "Heh, Who's there?"

There was a pause: Comic could imagine it, the look of surprise on a face he was all too familiar with.

"...This is not what I expected..." Came a deep, gentle voice, soft and low. It was slightly muffled by the thickness of the stone door, but Comic knew it well. He had heard it all his life, after all. It was his voice. And yet, it wasn't: there was a heaviness to it, an agelessness, the weight of experience and time making it softer, more passive. The effect was soothing, almost fatherly.

Comic grinned. "That's a long one, but I'll bite: This-is-not-what-I-expected Who?"

"...This is not what I expected at all..."

Comic shrugged. "Sorry, bud, I don't get it. Either my funny bone's broken, or that wasn't the least bit _humerus_."

There was the faintest chuckle.

Comic stuck his hands in his pockets. "Knock knock."

"........Who is there?"

"You are."

"You are who?"

"Naw, see, you're saying it wrong. The question is 'who are you'."

Another chuckle. ".....That was terrible."

"A joke ain't bad if it gets you to laugh, bud."

"...I suppose I agree with you in that, kiddo..." There was a pause. "Then, tell me, who are you?"

Comic sighed. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"......Touché..."

Comic clenched his fists. He had so many questions, but he knew that he had no place asking them.

"...Do you want to hear a joke about sleeping?"

"Sure, lay it on me," Comic leaned his head back against the door.

"...On second thought, never mind. It'll just make you _deep-rest_!"

Comic choked on his laughter. "W-wanna hear a joke about eating?"

"I'd love to."

"Are you sure? 'Cause it's in poor _taste_!" Comic heard the laughter.

This wasn't a bad way to spend an evening.

* * *

Red checked the door to the shed, pleased to find that it locked from the inside. Sliding the bolt into place, he went back into the caged off area, passing through the bars far too wide to stop anyone and settling on the dog bed. This shed was identical to Comic's in every respect, except the color of the dog dish. Red was grateful. He couldn't stand being in that flower scented hellhole one more moment.

Fishing out the cigarettes from his coat pocket, he lit one and sagged back into the plush of the dog bed, trying to work the kink out of his neck that refused to leave. Everything about that house had set him on edge: the nearly imperceivable shifts of the furniture from their proper place (everything had been three centimeters to the left), the creepy snail that that he swore had been staring at him, the smell. Yes, especially the smell; the smell of golden flowers, that made him want to set the very air on fire, to let loose every ounce of magic in his body and eviscerate everything in his path.

Slim appeared, taking his spot against the wall. he leaned back, taking a long drag of his own. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Stretch popped in, and sat next to Red on the floor, holding his hand out for a cigarette. Red gave the taller skeleton a dirty look but grudgingly pulled out a second stick, lit it, and handed it over. Stretch stuck it between his teeth, scooting back to give Red more room.

The air was heavy with words left unsaid.

"Red," Stretch started, "Maybe-"

"No." Red cut him off.

"You don't even know-"

"I know _exactly_ what yer gonna say." The skeleton clasped his hands together, as if in prayer. " _MAYBE YOU'D FEEL BETTER IF YOU'D TALKED OUT YOUR FEELINGS~~~!_ " He mocked, mimicking Stretch's speech pattern in a higher pitched sing-song voice. He pulled his hands apart, visually dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand and a 'pfft' of air, pulling the stick from his teeth with one hand and blowing a large smoke ring.

Stretch spun the cigarette in his teeth by rolling his jaw from side to side. The direct approach was not going to work. Too bad they didn't have any booze, or stronger drugs. That worked like a charm the last time.

Slim smirked. That was hilarious. He actually thought that was going to work? Red wasn't as agreeable or indulgent as Slim, and they all knew it.

The silence returned.

Stretch sighed. "I get it, kind of. I get what you must have- what you must be feeling-"

"Ya know th' worst part? Ya actually believe that," Red sneered. "Ya actually think ya have a fuckin' clue. Ya _don't_. So do us all a favor an' stop pretendin'. It's pissin' me off."

Stretch recoiled a bit, picking at the material of his pants nervously. Okay, so attempts at sympathy were useless. Red had his defenses up full blast. This was going to get them nowhere. He stood up, deciding that maybe some fresh air would give him a new idea. He snapped his fingers, going to the far reaches of Snowdin, where nobody was likely to disturb him.

Red snickered. "'Bout time."

"You could have thrown him a _bone_ , you know," Slim contended.

"I also could o' smashed his face in." Red pointed out. "Ya realize, as soon as they get bored stickin' their noses in _my_ life, yer next, right?"

Slim chuckled. "I'm not worried. Nothing wrong with my life."

"Except everythin'."

"Heh... maybe..." Slim leaned his head back against the wall, watching the smoke float up to the ceiling. "But me and my bro take it on together. Can you say the same?" Red ground his teeth. Slim smirked. "Exactly."

"Fuck off," Red snapped. He had a sense of deja vu. Hadn't they had a conversation like this before? Whatever.

"That reminds me," Slim started, "I've been meaning to ask ya: hows it going with Lust?"

"He woke up didn't he?"

"Not what I meant," Slim chuckled. "You two seem to be getting really close, right?"

"Dunno what yer talkin' bout."

"You seemed pretty upset when he fell down..."

"Asshole got us stuck 'n this fuckin' mess!! Hell yeah I was pissed off!!"

"You _sure_ thats all it was?"

"What else would it be?" Red gripped the cigarette in his teeth between two knuckles, taking a beep breath before pulling it away to release the great billow of smoke. he didn't like the tone the other monster was using.

Slim shrugged. "Who knows..."

Red eyed the larger skeleton, clicking his teeth. "What're ya gettin' at?"

"I just think maybe you might be going through something... new, perhaps?"

"Ain't no clue what yer talkin' 'bout." Red said, a fraction of a second faster than he should have. He thought back to the not-anger-not-worry feeling and wished he had a drink. He hated feeling feelings. It was a luxury he had not afforded himself in years, one he did not in the least bit miss. Feelings were just one more straw liable to break the proverbial camel's back, and he had enough trouble as it was.

Slim sighed. He'd just have to wait for Lust to guide him to the answer. He wasn't exactly an expert in this department. He knew more about LOVE than love. Assuming he wasn't barking up the wrong tree. He didn't think he was.

The two monsters each went through two or three cigarettes before Red stood up, feeling much better.

"Where are you going now?" Slim asked, putting out his smoke against his left hand.

"Dump. Might as well get somethin' useful outa this clusterfuck."

Slim shrugged. He snapped his fingers moments after Red. The little guy had a point. This was an opportunity they could not afford to waste.

* * *

Dance appeared in the dump, smacking his face a few times. He had to pull it together. He couldn't just drool over that furry goddess all day. There was work to be done. They still needed parts, badly, and the trip to Red's place had been worse than a bust.

Taking a deep breath, Dance started rummaging through the piles of refuse. He found a basket and set it on the nearest dry platform, then went back to searching. He found some small metal bits, which he rinsed off in the murky water and tossed into the basket. The pile he had started on turned out to be mostly compost, which made him nervously wash his hands before turning to check the next pile.

He almost ran right into Toriel.

Toriel took a few steps back, flushing that bright pink under her fur. "Excuse me!"

"No, uh, my bad, heh. Wasn't watching where I was going..."

There was an awkward silence, both monsters averting their eyes.

"What are you doing here..?" Toriel asked.

"Recycling." Dance answered casually.

"Are you looking for something in particular, by any chance..?"

Dance scratched his maxilla. "Well, there is a list of sorts, not that I bothered to write it down..."

Toriel flexed her bare feet in the water, rolling her ankle. "If you give me an idea, I could help you look, maybe..?"

Dance smiled. "Uh, thanks. We need some spark plugs, copper wiring -- just about anything metal or rubber will be useful."

"Okay!" Toriel made her way to a pile and started sorting.

Dance started on another pile, finding some old electronic toys that still had bits and pieces inside worth salvaging. He was breaking one such toy open, gutting it, when he heard Toriel yelp. He stood up, setting the toy on the dry platform next to the basket, running over. "What's wrong?"

Toriel jumped away from the pile she had been working through, holding one of her legs up awkwardly. "I stepped on something..." She twisted her leg up to inspect the pad of her paw. There was a trickle of blood pooling around a bit of broken glass that had wedged itself in the soft skin. She was shaking like a leaf. That had been so close. _So close._ She should have been more careful. If she had stepped any harder, her HP might have- might have-! She began to hyperventilate, panic making her soft purple eyes grow wide.

Dance tapped his foot, lifted the goat monster up with BLUE magic along with a soft harmonic loop. Toriel felt a shiver run through her body, shocking her out of her panic. Dance looked around until he found a discarded cooler, setting the goat monster on top of it to keep her injury out of the dirty water. He knelt down, no thought to the state his own cloths would get in as he knelt in the water, and examined the injury. It was shallow, but the glass was stuck. He knew just by looking at it that his blunt distal phalanges would not be able to grasp it. If it was left there, it would continue to chip away at her health. "Can you pull this out?" He asked.

Toriel was redder than she had been all day. Her head swam. He was so close! So close! He was touching her! He was touching her, and his hands were so gentle and cold and oh he was talking what was he saying?! "Uh..."

Dance was about to ask again, when he heard the splash behind him. He looked, and saw Red (and shortly after, Slim) appear in the dump, turning to start their own attempts at salvaging. Dance sighed. He couldn't be picky about how he got things done. "Hey, Red!"

Red turned, seeing the two monsters, Toriel sitting on the cooler, one leg up and held carefully in Dance's hand, her head back and glowing bright pink as she reeled with confusion. He scowled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "What th' hell do ya want now?"

"You're good at handling glass, right?" Dance remembered when Red had had to pull glass from his hand at the bar. "You know a little healing magic too, right? Come here and help."

Red eyed the skeleton, then the goat monster, taking in the situation. He snickered. "Naw, not interested. Do it yerself."

"If you don't, I'll tell everyone your SOUL trait." Dance said.

Red rolled his crimson eye light. "See this?" He pointed. "Everyone already KNOWS my tr-"

"No, your _real_ one." Dance corrected. "You know, the one you hide behind all that attitude?" Red gaped at him. Dance grinned. "You can't change the frequency, no matter how hard you try. The moment you used magic, I knew."

Slim raised his eyebrow. What was this?

Red growled. Dance looked back at him smugly. He had hit the nail on the head -- Red didn't want anyone to know. Now he had leverage over the irksome creep.

Red clicked his teeth, claws twitching. "Blackmailin' little shit..." he grumbled, approaching. "Don't think this means yer gonna get yer way every time, Twinkle Toes..." He snatched hold of Toriels ankle with one hand, his grip rougher than Dance's. Toriel flinched, but she didn't try to pull away. Red flexed the claws of his other hand, delicately taking hold of the end of the shard, and slid it out of the tender flesh. There was a brief flash of red light, and Toriel felt the cut close, her HP returning to 100%.

Red looked at the tiny glass bit in his hand. A diabolical grin split his face, and he spitefully flicked the shard into Dance's eye socket, causing the monster to rear back, screaming wordlessly as he clutched at his skull in an attempt scoop out the foreign object. It didn't hurt, exactly, and it didn't do any damage (Red hadn't tossed it that hard) but there was something incredibly uncomfortable about having a piece of glass floating around the inside of your skull. Dance stumbled to his feet, bending and twisting, trying to shake and angle his skull so the glass would fall out. Red fell backward into the water, holding his ribs, cackling manically.

Slim shook with laughter of his own. "Y-you kinda asked for that..!"

"You _ass_!!!" Dance yowled, squeezing on eye shut as he dug around in the other with his finger, face a light blue from the discomfort of it all.

All Red could do was laugh.

It took Dance a good five minutes to find and extract the offending object, during which both Red and Slim devolved into childish giggling. Toriel scrunched her face up, not finding the humor in Dance's situation. Dance grunted as he pulled his finger from his socket, clutching the glass carefully between two fingers. He immediately closed that eye, opening the other and looking for something he could toss it into. He found a rusty bucket, which was perfect, because it let him smash the glass down with all his strength, cracking it in half.

Red wiped a few tears from his sockets, bringing his laughter back under control. He could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance, approaching fast. Insanely fast. His joviality was smothered as his instincts kicked in, sending him to his feet, his magic poised for an attack.

Slim heard the noise a few moment's after Red, his shoulders stiffening as he tried to assess whether it was a threat or not.

Toriel and Dance didn't hear it until the distant scream became audible over the water.

"ooooooooOoOoOoOo _OOOOOOOO **OOOOOOOO!!!!**_ "

Around the corner came zooming a small orange blur, trailing licks of fire behind it. The blur made a sharp turn, briefly coming to a stop, then dashed once more at full speed towards the dump, the fire in it's wake being smothered as it crossed the water. It was actually a small, but sturdily built, goat monster. He wore a short sleeved white shirt over top a purple shirt with slightly longer but still short sleeves, black shorts, and matching purple boots and gloves. Around his neck was a likewise matching purple scarf, which thrashed behind him as he moved with incredible speed, an orange glow emanating from his chest.

Toriel smiled softly. She put one hand up in a wave. "Heya, bro!"

The new goat monster literally blazed passed Slim and Red, coming to a screeching halt in front of Dance and Toriel, a goofy grin on his face. "HOWDY SIS!" He briefly touched his chest, snuffing out the orange glow, shaking his head to toss the blond hair that sprouted from his head around his decently-sized horns out of his eyes, making his long ears flop on either side. His white fur was covered in sweat, his light orange tinted red eyes bright and energetic. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ALL THE WAY OUT HERE??"

"Oh, just helping some new friends," Toriel said casually, shrugging. Her voice was noticeably less strained, her body language more relaxed. "Guys, this is my big brother, Asgore. Say hi, Gory."

Asgore grinned, holding out his hand to Dance. "HI! NICE TO MEET YOU!!" Dance looked at the hand, and hesitantly took hold of it. This was not what he expected when he thought of the name 'Asgore'. This small, cheerful, energetic creature lacked the air of responsibility, the maturity, the fatherly softness, that Dance had come to unconsciously associate with the monster he knew as 'Asgore'.

Red spun around to keep eye contact with the new monster. His body went cold, numb, when he saw the monster's face. His mind dissolved into chaos, repeating flashes of a golden hallway, of the cruel prongs of a great trident covered in marrow, of purple cloth and white fur and grey dust and _red_. All he could see was _red_.

" **Y o u d i r t y b r o t h e r k i l l e r !** " Red's voice was at once both loud and soft. The vehemence, the rage, the grief, it all swirled and condensed and exploded in a roar that never exceeded a volume that would be acceptable indoors, as though it was the sound of darkness itself. Or of hate. He summoned a hoard of Gaster Blasters, taking aim at the creature whose face sent him into a frenzy of bloodlust.

Asgore went rigid. He had never heard a voice like that before. His body began shaking, even as he forced himself to turn around. He saw Red, saw the Blasters, saw the raw concentrated magic coalescing in their maws, all barreling down on him. His SOUL withered under the gaze of that single red eye which burned brighter and with more fury than any fire he had ever seen.

Dance and Slim both summoned an array of their own blasters. As Red let the attacks fly, the other skeletons used their own attacks to intercept and cancel them out. The air was filled with sparks, light, and the crackle of magic against magic.

Toriel took hold of her brother and teleported out of the line of fire, reappearing a few feet away. Her body had moved on its own, as her mind had gone blank (had she been thinking clearly, she would have taken them both someplace much further away). She witnessed the clash of magic in front of her, felt the waves of energy disperse and shake the very air. The water under them was shoved back, rising and falling in waves that reached up to their waists. Ankle-deep water should not be able to do that.

Red lunged forward, having once more locked on to Asgore, his hands spread wide to each side as he summoned a tidal wave of bone attacks. Slim gripped the crazed monster with BLUE magic, smashing him a little harder than he needed to face first into the water. Red's attacks stalled, fizzing out as he thrashed under the gravitational pressure. Dance jumped to stand between Red and the goat monsters, hands in his pockets, his left eye glowing a deep blue.

"Calm down," Slim tried, his voice tentative. He once again felt as though he were trying to reason with a natural disaster. He could feel Red's SOUL thrashing as violently as his body. Red clawed at the air above him and the ground beneath the water, sending jagged red bones flying in all directions at random, blindly.

Dance kept intercepting the bones that flew towards the shaken goat monsters, his SOUL aching from the repeated use of magic without the preparation of a song. Each attack he summoned made his body ache, the sensation similar to when one tries to sing a high note without warming up. He did not have the time to summon a song now, though, so he pushed through it. Protecting Toriel and her brother was more important.

Red's struggling increased, his voice rising in a furious scream that bubbled from under the water. Slim felt a tingling in his hand, in his SOUL, as his magic was pressed back. The two skeletons were of equal LV, and Red was in a state beyond reason. Slim fumbled into his pocket with his free hand, getting his phone and flipping it out. Since he didn't want to kill Red, he needed reinforcements. He had the perfect guy in mind.

[cum 2 dump red went nutz] he texted.

Lust appeared in the dump within moments, alarm apparent in his eye lights. A jagged bone shot out towards him, which he only just managed to slide out of the way of. He jumped onto Red's back, summoning a small purple bone and jamming it between two of Red's cervical vertebrae. Almost instantly, Red went still, and his magic fizzled out.

Dance, Slim, and Lust, Toriel and Asgore all held their breath for a moment. Red continued to curse and swear, the noises unintelligible thanks to him still being facedown in the water. Slowly, Slim let go of the BLUE magic. Red still did not move.

Lust looked at Slim, not understanding what had happened. Slim pointed. Lust followed his finger, and saw Asgore. Lust felt his nonexistent heart lodge in his nonexistent throat. That explained it. Of course. As if Red would be over _that_ : it hadn't even been a full day since it happened. Lust slid off of Red's back, kneeling in the water next to him, dripping sweat. He was not back to normal quite yet, and all the quick movements had strained his already stressed body.

Dance clutched at his hoodie, a few beads of sweat dripping down his chin and into the water below him. He turned around and checked on the goat monsters. Two eyes filled with fear and worry looked back at him. Dance felt himself fill with shame. "Uh, sorry about that. Something really got his _goat_ , heh..." He knew it wasn't a laughing matter, but it made him feel a little better.

At least Tori was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEAD CANON EXPLANATION CORNER GO
> 
> ~ Stretch and Slim have super big sweet tooths.
> 
> ~ Red secretly has in intolerance for sugar, much like Blue. Only he is fully aware of it, and therefore avoids it like the plague.
> 
> ~ Alter!Sans is very confused, but not opposed to meeting a new joke-telling friend
> 
> ~ Dance can tell someone's SOUL trait if they can see that person use magic. it's all in the frequency. So he knows Red is a KINDNESS type. And he guessed Red was hiding it. Dance is not opposed to getting his hands dirty for the greater good. And for him, there is no greater good than Tori
> 
> ~ GLASS IN THE EYE JFC RED THAT IS maybe a little funny since nobody actually got hurt but don't pull that with non-skeletons plz
> 
> ~ Stretch needs to stop using booze as a crutch to get people to talk
> 
> ~ Slim no longer thinks he can kick Red's ass in anything but eating
> 
> ~ Gory is very scared now


	29. Unfair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things cool down a bit, and various people complain about how life is just not fair. Also there is fan service. Because reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did NOT want to be written! It was like wrestling with a great beast to get these words out! XD
> 
> I know not a lot happens here but I didn't want to make it drag on too long.

Asgore blinked. One minute he had been staring death in the face, and the next he wasn't. One minute the world was nothing but light and sound, and the next it was almost silent, save for the muffled profanities of the monster that now lay facedown in the water. His body still shook uncontrollably, to his shame. He was the Amazing Asgore, after all! He could not lose himself to fear!

No matter how much intent to kill had been directed at him.

No matter how certain he had been that he was going to die.

As he collected himself, Asgore realized that his sister was clinging to his arm, trembling even harder than he was. He steeled himself, putting his gloved paws over hers, squeezing gently and reassuringly. He wasn't sure how, but they had gotten out of the way safely, and the much friendlier monster he had shook hands with had protected them from further harm. That was a good sign.

Asgore shook his head, clenching his fists, forcing himself to pay attention to the scene in front of him. Maybe if he could figure out why this had happened, he could fix it. Or at least prevent it from happening again. He noticed there was one more strange monster with them now. When had he gotten there?

Toriel shook against her brother's arm, her mind racing, her heart still quaking from the battle: the sheer force of the magic that had been flung about (almost casually!) had her reeling. She could still feel the residual trances lingering in the air, clinging to her fur. Had she tried to counter attack, those beams would have cut through her fire like a hot knife through butter. What kind of monsters were these guys, to wield such power with such ease? Her mind began to spell out all the ways that power could be used to bring her world crumbling down around her. However, on the flip side, Red's voice haunted her, the words 'dirty brother killer' echoing inside her with enough force to drag her back into a catatonic state (had it not been for the warmth at her side). She had said those words more times than she cared to think about, knew intimately the feelings that Red's voice had expressed with their utterance.

Toriel found that she was at once terrified _of_ the monster, and _for_ him.

Lust put his hand on Red's shoulder, massaging gently, trying to sooth him. "It's alright..." he whispered, his exhaustion creeping into his voice. "It isn't really him, remember?"

Slim came closer to Red, pulling out a new cigarette (man did he rely on these a lot lately). "I think we'd better move before someone comes ta investigate. I get the feeling magic ain't used like that too often 'round here..."

"FOOLS!!" Shouted an angry voice from the back of the Dump. "I saw EVERYTHING!!! Morons, Morons, MORONS!!!" A training dummy, it's usually beige body now an angry red, hovered in the air over the water. "Trying to kill a royal guard trainee?? Disturbing the peace?? I saw it ALL!! And now I'm going to PUNISH YO-"

The dummy was smashed to the ground, held in place by the gravitational force of Slim's BLUE magic. Slim sighed, putting his cigarette between his teeth and lighting it with his free hand. "Mad Dummy... Figures..."

Dance pulled his hood up, hiding his face from the goat monsters. "Lust, you watch the asshole. Slim, you keep Mad Dummy occupied. I'll finish scavenging, then we can leave."

"Great plan, honey, but one problem..." Lust smiled weakly. "I don't think I could use another shortcut to save my life."

Dance ground his teeth. "Then we'll just have to find a place to hide out."

"You-Know-Where is the best option, I think," Slim remarked. "Nobody goes there except- well, you know."

Dance and Lust knew exactly where he was referring to.

A few bubbles came up next to Red's head, his muted howling having gradually died down until they ceased completely. Lust placed his hand against the side of Red's head. "Nod for me if you're calm, sweetie." He felt the slight motion of Red's skull, the most of a nod he could give in his situation. Lust smiled, gripping the broader skeleton by the shoulders of his jacket and rolling him over, settling Red's head in his lap.

As soon as Red's head was out of the water, he started coughing, water gushing out of his eye sockets, nasal cavity, and mouth. His eye lights were completely dark for a moment, then the steady red glow appeared in his left eye, and he gasped as though for air. He glared up at Lust. "Yer supposed t' be restin' for th' trip back."

"And _you're_ supposed to be playing nice with the locals." Lust retorted.

Red ground his teeth. "Lemme up."

Lust shook his head. "You just stay right where you are."

"This water's fuckin' cold! Lemme th' fuck up!"

"We just thought ya needed ta _cool off_ ," Slim said under his breath, chuckling at his own humor, his eyes never leaving the dummy he had pinned.

Dance smirked, feeling it served him right after the stunt with the glass shard. Satisfied that Lust had the bruiser under control, he turned and went back to scavenging.

"Says the guy who rolled around shirtless in the snow." Lust responded, sliding a finger along the edge of the crack that came down towards Red's right eye.

Red flushed. "THAT WAS COMPLETELY FUCKIN' DIFFERENT AN' YA FUCKIN' KNOW IT!!"

Lust massaged Red's shoulders, trying to work out the stress that was still evident. "I understand why-" He stopped himself. "I suppose I don't, not really... But I can imagine. Even so, you must know that you were misdirecting your feelings..."

Red opened his mouth to retort, but shut it again. He rolled his neck, looking over at the still shaking goat monsters. His rage flared again at the sight of those golden curls against white fur, of red eyes and purple fabric, but it was more subdued for a reason he could not explain. _Something_ grounded him back to reality now, kept him lucid even as his instincts riled to shut down the rational part of his mind, preventing his anger from consuming him so utterly that he missed the fine details like before: he took in the comparative size of the monster, how much smaller he was than the one to which he owed his vengeance; he detected the gentler emotions Red did not know the names of glittering in the back of those eyes, which were more orange than they should have been; he observed how his outfit was less regal, his posture less domineering. This was not Asgore as Red knew him. "Tch..." He rolled his head back, closing his eyes.

Lust felt the magic surging just out of Red's reach ebb and recede, saw the tension leave the corners of his eye sockets and the joint of his jaw. Although he would have been happy staying like that for a little while longer, Lust reached under Red's head and removed the bone that cut his SOUL off from his control.

Red sat up slowly, pulling himself to his feet, taking in his condition. He spread his arms, shaking them as water clinging to his cloths fell off in tiny droplets. "Ugh! I'm soaked t' th' _bone_!" His exasperation and annoyance was back, but he wasn't going on a mindless rampage, and that was the important part. If he didn't dry off fast, he was going to catch a cold (something he could not afford to do).

Growling with irritation, not particularly wanting to do this here in the open, but also not wanting to go back to the much colder Snowdin area where he would definitely freeze (or the house because of the smell), Red shucked off his jacket, which had survived without much trouble thanks to the waterproof leather (although the fur lining of the hood was a little damp), and dropped it on Lust, using the skeleton as a coat-rack. He then pulled off his heavy red sweater, which was made of a much more absorbent material, so waterlogged that each motion sent the stuff cascading to the ground. The damp material clung to his bones, making it harder to pull over his head. The worst part was when the neck of the sweater got caught on the small spikes of his collar, leaving him with his arms in the air, bones exposed, tugging progressively more violently, dripping water on his head. Eventually the material gave, sliding off the metal and popping up with a soft sucking noise. He scowled at it, feeling how much heavier it was than it should be. Gripped it in both hands, Red twisted it repeatedly in on itself and began to wring it out, squeezing away bucketfuls of liquid. It hadn't been this heavy since the day he had accidentally dyed it that bloody color.

Lust pulled the coat off his head and watched Red appreciatively, humming with approval at the sight. He wasn't sure if the scars made him look more handsome or not, but once he had gotten over the shock, he found them appealing, found himself wanting to trace his fingertips along them all. His SOUL quivered, pulsing a slow burning warmth that made him feel light headed in a completely different way than his weakened condition could account for. The unintentional show made Lust temporarily forget how tired he felt, watching Red's chest cavity expand and contract shamelessly as he wrestled the shirt over his head. Lust's eye lights blew out to large violet hearts, his lewd grin showing off his canines as his tongue hung next to them. Stars, this was better than anything back home.

The two goat monsters gasped at the sight, very much not over the shock value.

Asgore covered his mouth, tears threatening to break out from behind his eyes. He had never seen anyone hurt so badly before. No wonder the skeleton monster was so easily set off; he must have lived such a hard life!

Toriel squeezed harder on her brother's arm, her imagination running wild.

Asgore patted his sister's hand, smiling down at her. Then, to Toriel's horror, he pulled away, walking toward the skeleton monster that had so viciously attacked him. Red unfurled his sweater and shook it, sending droplets flying, before twisting it again to wring it out more. His skull was tilted down to face the stubborn clothing item, but his eye lights shifted up to look at the approaching monster.

"UH, HOWDEY! I THINK MAYBE WE GOT OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT??" His body still trembled, but Asgore put on his best smile, approaching with his arms wide, showing he meant no harm. "I'M ASGORE DREEMURR! AND I TOTALLY FORGIVE YOU FOR, UH, WHATEVER IT WAS THAT JUST HAPPENED!!" He held out one hand, palm up. "LET'S START OVER, AND BE FRIENDS??"

Red looked at the purple gloved hand, sneering, his gold tooth glinting dangerously. Lust clutched at the jacket he was now holding against his chest, standing up shakily. This could go badly fast, and he wasn't sure if he was going to be fast enough to handle it.

Red looked the nervous but optimistic goat monster up and down, his animosity so thick they could practically smell it. He ground his teeth, his eye flaring brilliant crimson, his hold on his shirt tightening. "Step off, hairball." He growled. "Ain't interested in gettin' chummy with th' likes of a _Dreemurr_." He said the name as though it were a curse, a profanity so foul, so obscene, so vulgar that it rolled off even his tongue with difficulty and distaste.

Asgore flinched. He had never been directed with such blatant hatred before. He withdrew his hand, fumbling to find the words that would mend this bridge that seemed to have been burnt long before he came to it.

"Red, stop. That isn't fair-"

"Don't talk t' _me_ about fair!" Red snapped at Lust, shaking out his shirt again, more violently this time. "We both know how _fair_ th' fuckin' universe - hell, th' _multiverse_ is! Is YOUR life fair?! How about Twinkle Toes'? Shit, even Chuckles wouldn't know _fair_ if it bit him on th' ass!!" He looked back at his sweater, realizing he was never going to get it to dry, and snatched his jacket from Lust, slipping it on his bare bones. Slinging the still damp sweater over his shoulder, Red glared at Asgore one more time, a silent warning not to try anything funny, and went to dig for parts.

Lust watched Red walk away, sighing. He then looked at Asgore, putting on a warm (if nervous) smile. "Don't mind him, sweetie, he's actually quite sweet once you get to know him... You just, uh, caught him at a _bad time_ , heh..."

Asgore returned the smile. "I UNDERSTAND! WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS! I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT I DID TO UPSET HIM, BUT I APOLOGIZE REGARDLESS!!" He seemed to get an idea. "OH! MAYBE, TO MAKE UP FOR IT, YOU WOULD ALL LIKE TO COME OVER TO OUR HOUSE FOR SOME TEA AND SCONES???"

"That sounds nice, but-"

"Your sister already had us over for Pie," Dance interjected, yanking a few more electronic toys out from under some trash bags. "We've already overstayed our welcome..." He gave Red a dirty look, blaming him entirely for making them all look bad in front of Toriel.

Toriel felt her heart lodge in her throat. The bitterness and regret in Dance's voice made her SOUL twitch.

Slim blew a smoke ring, looking over his shoulder at Lust. "How ya doing, lil guy?"

Lust smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. No skin off my bones," he said with a wink. "Wanna check me over yourself?"

Red crushed the car rim he had just picked up like it was made of styrofoam (and not steel).

Slim winced at the noise of metal being bent and smashed and torn, a small smile taking hold of him. "Uh, no thanks, I'll just take yer word fer it."

Dance gutted the toys of their computer parts. "You good to shortcut yet?"

"No. I might need a while... Maybe a day? Gimme a break, Dance, I just had a _shocking_ experience!"

"WHERE WILL YOU ALL BE STAYING??" Asgore asked.

"Who knows?" Lust smiled. "Don't really have a solid plan. We'll probably end up camping outside or-"

"UNACCEPTABLE!!!" Asgore shouted. "AS MY BABY SISTER'S NEWEST FRIENDS, I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO GO WITHOUT A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD!! IT IS SETTLED!! YOU WILL STAY WITH US!!"

"That's very gracious of you, but-"

"Z'OH MY GOD! I MUST HURRY AND PREPARE!! SEE YOU ALL BACK AT THE HOUSE!!!" He touched his chest, turning his soul orange again. "THE AMAZING ASGORE, AWAY!!!" With that, he ran off, his 'NYO HO HO!' echoing off the water long after he had disappeared from sight.

Toriel sighed. _Take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. Okay._ She walked over to Lust. "Look, I don't mind if you guys come back... But..." She eyed Red, who kicked a few bags of trash out of the way to look deeper in a pile. "Try to keep your angry friend under control, 'kay?"

Lust smiled. "I doubt he'll come back into the house proper. I think he'll stay out in the shed."

"That suits me fine. Because if anything ever happens to Gory... Someones gonna **f e e l t h e h e a t**." She knew her magic flared in her left eye, the orange and red and gold flickering and manifesting briefly.

A jagged red bone flew through the air, narrowly missing the top of Toriel's nose. "Watch who yer makin' threats to, bitch." Red sneered.

"Take your own advice," Dance growled, a low bass beat emanating from him.

Lust sighed. "Can't we all just get along? I mean..." He gripped Toriel's chin, looming closer, his voice deepening and taking on that silken come-hither quality as his eye lights thrummed with purple light. "Here we have an adorable little marshmallow, and at least 6 ways to make a s'more..." He watched as Toriel turned so pink it made her cloths look pale, and chuckled, petting the fur along her mouth with the flat of his thumb. "Or would you prefer a simple chevon _sans_ wich?" Toriel turned an even brighter shade, steam rising from the exposed skin under her ears as her body overheated.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE-!" Red exclaimed, not sure why he was so flustered and frustrated.

"Exactly," Lust snickered.

Dance pulled his hood up, trying to keep his internal screaming from becoming external.

Slim doubled over laughing, only barely keeping his hold on the Mad Dummy that everyone seemed to have forgotten about but him.

Toriel fainted standing up.

* * *

"[...So he gives the guy a drink!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dier3Is5mD8)" Comic finished, snickering.

The laughter from behind the door drifted out into the falling snow, low and sweet. After a moment, it ended, and the voice spoke. "I've never heard one quite like that before."

Comic smiled. "I saw it on the Undernet. Can't claim it myse-" He stopped, listening. The distant crunch of approaching footsteps.

Stretch came around the treeline, cigarette in his teeth, hands in his hoodie pockets, his usual slump a little deeper. He looked at his feet, thinking, as he approached the stone doors that had always given him such comfort. He stopped next to Comic, pressing his back against the door and blowing a gentle wisp of smoke. "I didn't expect to see you here..."

Comic shrugged. "Just had to hear it for myself."

Stretch fingered the door behind him, sliding into the snow. "Did he show up?" He wasn't a fool. He had figured it out just like Comic had. His voice was tinged with a bit of sadness.

"Yeah, but all things considered, I am pretty sure he beat it as soon as you opened your mouth."

"I wouldn't be surprised..." Stretch watched the smoke drift off the end of his cigarette and dance around the falling snow. "It isn't fair... I can't seem to help anyone..."

"There isn't anything we can do about this-"

"No, I know..." Stretch sighed. "It's just... I can't get through to _him_. He's set up his walls and I can't get in." Comic didn't need him to say who he was talking about. "I can't just leave him like that, not when I know how badly he really needs someone... But I'm so tired." He leaned his head back against the cold stone. "The anomaly has barely touched me, I've hardly done anything, and I'm so _tired_." He looked at Comic. "And it's only going to get harder, isn't it?" Comic didn't have the words to answer. Stretch smirked. "Yeah, I figured." He took another drag. "So I have to do what I can now... Before... I just give up completely..."

Comic sighed. "I'm not gonna sugar coat it. Once it starts, _really_ starts, it's all downhill. If you're anything like me," he paused, both of them laughing at their own inside joke, "then, well, it's all gonna start to look pretty meaningless..." Comic held his hand out, counting on his phalanges as he thoughtfully listed off the chain reaction that he figured his companion would be put through. "Little everyday things will become increasingly difficult, until you neglect them completely. Next you'll stop socializing, because everyone will become so sickeningly predictable, it'll take every _bone_ in your body to stop yourself from mouthing along to every line in the damn Script. Then, well... What little energy you had, to put into the necessary acts of functioning? That'll be used up just dragging yourself out of bed. Chances are you'll become increasingly dependent on- uh..."

Stretch clenched his fists. He understood.

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least you'll know all the best times and places to nap! And your jokes will always seem like new material, even if ya tell them a hundred times! And laundry day won't come around anymore, and, heh..." His hand fell back into the snow. "Yeah, not a fair trade..." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Ya know, we're different enough that you might not give up..."

Stretch smiled. "The only meaningful difference between us, is that I'm taller, handsomer, and have better taste in food."

Comic put his hand on his chest, feigning hurt. "I resent that! My taste in food is superb!"

"I tried Grillby's food at Lust's place. That stuff is awful. Muffet's is way better."

"Grillby is a culinary master, you uncultured pleb!" Comic chided playfully.

"If grease is culture, I'll remain a hick."

They looked at each other, and snickered.

Behind the door, a tall skeleton in deep purple and blue robes was listening, tears pricking at the rims of eyes. He hadn't known just how much he missed hearing that tenor voice until Stretch had started talking. All of his loneliness, his frustration, his anger, his sadness, broke upon him like a great storm, making his eyes go dark and his body limp. He curled in on himself emotionally, taking refuge in the small part of his heart that was nothing but cold serenity and emptiness. He leaned his head back against the door, staring up at the dark ceiling, hugging himself. He would have left, had it not been for the part of him that screamed that things were not what they seemed. And from the conversation he had overheard, he had been right. There was something going on that he had not anticipated, had not foreseen.

All three monsters reveled in the sombre silence as time continued trudging onward.

* * *

The skeletons finished their errand at the dump quickly. Dance took hold of the basket of materials, taking a shortcut back to the house. There he found Justice and Rus still playing cards, both a bit irritated at being left behind.

Red took hold of Lust's arm and took a shortcut to the shed.

Slim waited until they were all gone, before letting Mad Dummy go and taking his own shortcut to the house.

Toriel, who had come back to consciousness thanks to Red's screaming, stepped to the side, fading away from the dump and reappearing in her kitchen.

"AFFECTIONATE BROTHER DISAPPEARED!" Rus shouted, worry making his voice tremble. "ONE MOMENT HE WAS HERE AND THE NEXT-"

"Chill, bud. He came to the dump to help with something. No big deal. He's fine." Dance said calmly. He'll be here shortly.

"What aren't you telling us now, short stop?" Justice muttered under her breath, her mouth shifting in irritation.

Slim appeared, falling back into the couch with a sigh.

"Where is Lust?" Dance asked him.

"Red took him. You can guess where they landed." He put out the cigarette that was now a smoldering nub, and lit another one. Maybe his brother was right, and he needed to cut back. He dismissed the idea. Nothing short of a direct order from his Lord was going to get him to quit, especially not now. He looked around. "Did Comic leave..?"

"YES! YES. HE. DID." Rus grumbled. "WITHOUT EVEN SAYING WHERE HE WAS GOING!!"

Dance shook his head. He just hoped that Comic didn't get into any trouble. He pulled out his cellphone, texting to Comic. [Where are you rn?]

After a minute, Comic replied. [Chilling with stretch]

Dance sighed in relief. At least everyone was in a pair. He settled on the floor, legs wrapped around the basket of goodies, and began sorting through it, building what parts he could from memory, cleaning the parts he found still had gunk on them. It was something to keep his hands busy. And his eyes off of her.

Toriel watched, fascinated. She tried to follow along with his work, but was soon lost, mechanics being out of her realm of expertise. To her, his fingers seemed to dance and sing along the metal, the process of the craft a work of art in and of itself.

It was one more aspect of the monster that drew her ever deeper into-

She stopped that thought. No. No no no, that was not happening. First of all, he was a complete stranger, no matter how familiar and soothing and safe his voice was, no matter how much he reminded her of _him_ (who, she reminded herself, she had only met face-to-face a handful of times, and only for the briefest of moments), no matter that they shared a name and a face that was beautiful in it's simplicity. None of that mattered. This monster was a complete stranger. And she had no business getting attached anyway, because they were all going to leave at any minute, and her life was going to go back to the way it was.

Somehow that thought wasn't as comforting as it should have been.

* * *

Red pulled away from Lust, flopping on the dog bed and dropping the still damp sweater haphazardly on the floor. He put his hands in his pockets, only to pull them out with a look of disgust and irritation as the insides were soaked, his smokes ruined. He tossed the soggy pack against the wall in frustration, crossing his arms and suppressing a shiver that ran through him as the slight breeze in the air went through him. The shed was not completely insulated.

Lust noticed the shiver, coming over and sitting on the floor next to him. "If you're cold, maybe we should go-"

"Fuck no." Red growled, sniffing. "Ain't goin' in that fuckin' house again. Screw that."

Lust resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alright, fine. How about we cuddle to keep warm, instead?" He was only half teasing -- he would be more than happy to cuddle up to those study bones.

Red flushed, looking away. "Fuck off..."

Lust played with the edges of his fingerless gloves, trying not to show his anxiety. He had never been anxious before, except in terms of his brother. Oh how Papyrus made him anxious, sometimes! But this was a different kind of anxious -- he wasn't worried about someone else's well being, he was worried about... rejection? Being hurt? That was new. He had never considered the idea of being rejected before. If one person wasn't interested, he could always find someone who was. But now...

"What are ya starin' at?" Red huffed, sifting his position to make himself more comfortable. Lust shook himself out of his musings. He hadn't realized he had been staring. His eyes had wandered up and down Red's body all on their own.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Lust said with a mischievous grin. He pulled out his phone. "I suppose a picture would last longer!" He snapped it before Red could react. Considering the speed he took it with, the image was rather good: Red lounging, his hands hanging limp in the air, his humeri cushioned on the edge of the supporting back of the dog bed as he braced himself; his ribs visible at a dynamic angle, his spine glistening with a few droplets of water he hadn't been able to find a way to shake off; the topmost ridge of his iliac crest visible over his shorts, which clung to his bones, leaving virtually nothing to the imagination; the slightest flush of magic on his joints, a sign that he was starting to feel the cold; the way his legs were spread slightly, one foot braced flat on the ground, the knee up and bent, while the other was laid out straight; the look of bewilderment on his face, the moment before realization of what was happening kicked in. Lust admired it before his instincts told him to move to the side.

"DELETE THAT RIGHT NOW!!" Red commanded, snatching at the device again.

Lust smiled. "Come over here and make me, handsome!" Red lunged again. Lust skipped just out of reach, winking as he giggled.

Red continued to chase Lust around the shed, the smaller monster managing to stay just out of reach for a good while. However, Lust had once more forgotten he was still recovering, and his footing slipped, sending him falling back into the wall opposite the wooden bars. Red pounced, pinning Lust in place by his arms, looming closer. Smirking smugly, Red snatched at the wrist holding the phone and positioning it over Lust's head in a show of victory. "Game over, ya li'l bi-"

Lust cut Red off by sticking his glowing tongue into the other monster's open mouth. Red went rigid, his grip getting stronger without his conscious control to restrain his strength. Lust didn't mind, too focused on the feeling of his tongue sliding along the back of Red's sharp teeth, feeling the tingle of the other monster's magic rushing to meet his. His eyes drifted shut, a pleased noise crawling up out of his throat as he managed to coax Red's tongue into existence, and stole possession of it with his own.

Red's eyes were wide, the crimson glow snuffed out completely, replaced with a simple white pinprick that was mimicked in his usually dark right socket. The little white lights jittered and fizzled erratically, expressing his shock and confusion. Then his grip loosened, his eye lids drooped, and he leaned closer, growling low as he braced one hand on the wall, the other coming up and gripping the side of Lust's skull, the claw of his thumb scratching lightly along the ramus of his mandible. He was out of drugs, so why not lose himself in something else? It's not like it was the first time, anyway. Besides, this was a good way to keep warm while he waited for all his shit to dry off.

Lust pocketed his phone, wrapping his arms around Red's neck. He arched his back, pressing his pelvis against Red's as he deepened the kiss, tugging gently so Red would bend forward and bring their rib cages together. Red's bare sternum touched Lust's though his shirt, which he immediately hated for being in the way. Still, he could feel the steady pulse of Red's SOUL, the tingling warmth of the magic that made up his body. He felt the tremble of his own SOUL at the sensation, the strange rush that it sent running through him, and purred.

Lust knew he should be trying to say something, anything, to express in clear and honest words how he felt. He knew it was unhealthy to just throw himself at this creature, who probably didn't know how to forge a healthy relationship any more than Lust did (maybe even less). He knew this, but he also knew Red didn't express himself well through words, and didn't respond well to words either. No, Red was like Lust in this -- they spoke with their bodies. Lust just hoped Red was fluent in his particular dialect.

Lust slid one arm down, taking hold of Red's clavicle and thumbing it, petting the bone under his jacket. Red responded by sliding his claws down to tease at Lust's neck, caressing the underside of his mastoid process. Lust shivered, pulling out of the kiss as he leaned into the attention, groaning in appreciation. His breath was now visible from the warmth his body was generating, coming in small wisps over his lolling tongue as he clung tighter to the monster that still had him pinned to the wall.

Red opened his eyes, leering down at the slightly smaller skeleton. "Didn't ya get enough earlier? It ain't even been a day yet."

Lust slipped his other arm from around Red's neck, cupping his skull, his phalanges brushing just to the side of the eye in which the red glow had returned. "I'll never get enough of you, sweetheart..."

Red felt his SOUL jitter. What was this, this new feeling? It was warm, and soothing, and made him want to relax. It was like the polar opposite of anger, a very not-angry feeling that had Red's mind drifting in a haze. Then the sharp, insistent not-anger-not-worry feeling took hold, and he clung to it, much more comfortable giving in to a more violent emotion. Red followed his instincts, and lurched forward, biting down on Lust's neck and growling. Lust shivered under him, gasping in surprise (and something else Red decidedly ignored). The smaller skeleton buried both arms under his jacket, clutching at the posterior of his ribs and scapula. The desperation evident in Lust's grip made Red snicker, sending vibrations through his teeth and down into Lust's vertebrae.

Lust's grip tightened, his body shaking now. "D-don't tease..!" he panted, face alight with the flush of his magic.

"Don't complain," Red muttered, Lust's bones still in his teeth. "Itz yer own fuckin' fault."

Lust thumbed the bones he held onto like a lifeline, his chest heaving from the rush of it all. The guy was hardly doing anything and he was so stars-damned ready for it! He let his head fall forward, nuzzling into the coat that smelled of mustard and damp fur and cigarette smoke. His body relaxed, his mind faded to nothing but colors and the delightful buzz of pleasure. Lust would be perfectly happy if they could just stay that way forever.

Then Red made the next move, and Lust was happy about that, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Gory is a fucking cinnabun jfc
> 
> ~ Undefell _sans_ -service for 100 plz
> 
> ~ Control your boyfriend, Lust!
> 
> ~ STOP LAUGHING SLIM IT ISN'T FUNNY okay maybe it's a little funny
> 
> ~ Lust stop trying to FLIRT your way through life (that's Frisk's job!)  
> ~ fyi chevon is a word for 'goat meat'
> 
> ~ SLIM IT IS STILL NOT FUNNY!!  
> ~ okay yes it is
> 
> ~ Rus and Justice are getting irritated now
> 
> ~ Comic just made a _cool_ pun via text and nobody could appreciate it
> 
> ~ Tori don't you already have a boyfriend???
> 
> ~ RUST ALERT (0//////0) damn Lust did you plan that?? also save the pic its hawt


	30. Condiments and Cooldowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which jokes are made, tension is quelled, and a few hints are dropped. Also Dance builds a new toy that ends up being awesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way way WAY longer to write than it should have! I'm so mad at myself for taking so long.

Asgore skidded to a halt in front of his house, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. It was good to be home. Tapping his chest to dissolve the ORANGE magic, he stepping onto the porch and shook his boots, sending melted snow and warm water flying. It would not do to track water all over the carpet, he was expecting guests, after all!

He entered the house.

"HAH! I win again!" Came a familiar voice.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" said someone energetically.

"Huh... guess I'm no good at this game..." was a low drawl, laced with amusement.

Asgore looked around the room. There were already plenty of guests. Two tall skeletons, the short one from before, and-

"U-UNDYNE!!!" Asgore flushed a little, closing the door with a gentle kick. "I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO COME OVER!!"

Justice looked up from her victory. "Holy-!!" Her mouth pursed, lips trembling. Then she could no longer contain it, and burst into laughter. It was Asgore! It was FUCKING ASGORE!! And he was TINY! So, so, so tiny! It was so cute and unexpected and- oh stars he was a little kid and- Justice just kept picturing her paternal role model and mentor and King, and comparing him to this itty bitty little kid of a monster. And she could not stop laughing.

Asgore tugged at his scarf gently, not sure why the fish monster was laughing and worried he had made a fool of himself.

Rus and Slim, who were sitting on the floor in front of the stairs with Justice, their backs to the door, turned around. Slim waved, having been expecting the smaller monster to show up at any minute. Rus's face lit up with surprise and confusion. "YOUR MAJESTY?! WHEN DID YOU COME HERE?? AND WHY ARE YOU SO SMALL??"

Slim elbowed him gently. "Naw, thats Asgore. You know, Toriel's brother? Remember where we are, bud."

Rus, having been temporarily distracted by his own thoughts and the game, blinked, realized, and flushed a bit in embarrassment. He turned back to Asgore with a smile. "MY APOLOGIES!! I MISTOOK YOU FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!"

Asgore stared at Rus, putting his own grin up. "IT'S ALRIGHT! FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT YOU WERE SOMEONE ELSE TOO!!"

Toriel came out of the kitchen, where she had been sneaking whip cream to calm herself. She wiped a bit off the fur of her chin. "Welcome home, Gory."

"SIS!" Asgore put his hands on his hips, braced on the knuckles, and leaned forward. "HOW IS IT YOU ALWAYS MANAGE TO BEAT ME HOME?!"

Toriel shrugged. "I just know a shortcut."

Asgore eyed her. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were teleporting or something..."

Toriel smiled nervously, although it could have been mistaken for amusement to anyone who didn't know better. Asgore raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't push it. He didn't want to get into one of _those_ conversations while they had guests. They never got anywhere, anyway: there was a part of his sister he just could not reach, no matter how hard he tried, and as much as it made him sad that she thought she had to hide something, _anything_ , from him, he didn't want to make her feel pressured into sharing either. He sighed, crossing his arms. She would open up to him when she was ready, and not before. He just had to be patient.

Rus looked between them, his brow ridges furrowing ever so slightly. So there were secrets being kept here, too.

Slim picked up the cards and began shuffling. This was going to be amusing.

Justice finally managed to stop laughing, taking a deep breath as the last giggle flit into the air. "This is amazing..! Wait 'till I tell Alphys..!" She pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of Asgore. "Do you think this will keep?"

Slim thought about it, then pulled out his own phone. He flicked through the video files (most of which were from work) until he found the most recent one. Smirking, he put the phone away. "Yeah, I think so..."

"UNDYNE!! IT IS RUDE TO TAKE PICTURES OF OTHERS WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION!!!" Rus chastised.

"I-I DON'T MIND!" Asgore reassured them. "WHEN YOU ARE AS AMAZING AS ME, IT IS ONLY TO BE EXPECTED THAT OTHERS WANT TO TAKE YOUR PICTURE!! BESIDES, IT ISN'T THE FIRST TIME UNDYNE HAS... UH..." He tugged on his ear, averting his eyes. "WELL, I HAD BEST GET THE TEA STARTED!! SO MANY GUESTS!! WHAT A GREAT DAY!!" He turned on his heals and marched into the kitchen, humming.

Justice blinked, feeling like there was something she missed. Slim snickered, dealing out the cards for the next round.

Rus looked at Toriel. "I THINK THERE HAS BEEN A MISUNDERSTANDING."

Dance, who had moved to the couch after Slim joined the card game on the floor, didn't look up from his tinkering as he spoke. "It isn't our business if he knows or not. That's up for Tori to decide."

"Yeah, well, who asked you?" Justice grumbled.

Toriel had been thinking about this very problem. She looked between the skeletons, Justice, and the kitchen, where Asgore could be heard making preparations for tea, trying to come to a decision. Given that this could be handled without any confusion if she said nothing, she opted to keep her brother in the dark.

After two more rounds of the card game, Asgore came out of the kitchen carrying a large tray, atop which was balanced half a dozen cups and a large teapot, all decorated with floral designs. He passed out the cups, grinning amiably, before sitting down on the couch as close to the card players as possible. "SO! HOW ABOUT INTRODUCTIONS! I AM ASGORE! WHAT SHOULD I CALL YOU?"

Justice devolved into howling laughter again, making her unable to answer.

"Uh... Dance..."

"Slim."

"MY NICKNAME IS RUS!! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU AGAIN, ASGORE!!"

Asgore smiled, shifting so he was more comfrotable. "SO TELL ME, WHERE ARE YOU FROM??"

Rus grinned. "WE'RE FROM S-"

"-somewhere far away," Dance interjected, eyeing Rus. "Very far away."

Slim snickered more, taking his cigarette from his mouth to better enjoy the tea. It reminded him of one of his few real friends back home.

"REALLY? WHATS IT LIKE THERE??" Asgore asked.

"Much like here, I suppose, with a few minor differences..." Dance responded amiably. He sniffed the tea offered him, taking a sip as he set down his work. His phalanges were covered in dark gunk now, smearing the outside of the cup where he held on.

"HOW DID YOU MEET TORI??" Asgore pressed, interested.

Dance smiled. He opened his mouth to answer, realized what he was going to say, and shut it quickly, pulling his hood up and hiding under it as his face lit up like a flashlight.

Asgore seemed to not understand, tilting his head to one side, than another, but Slim noticed the glint in his eyes as he looked at Dance's reaction.

"...We just met..." Dance coughed out.

Slim couldn't stop snickering. In the past few weeks he had known Dance, he had never seen the aloof skeleton show any sort of real emotion. He had always kept a tight reign on his feelings, only ever smiling or laughing for the occasional joke, or muttering irritably in annoyance, or growling softly, or making the sarcastic quips that were the extent of his passive aggressive behavior. Sure, Dance had had an outburst of anger once or twice, but it never lasted for long, and he never became animated about anything but machinery or music. Seeing a guy like that become flustered, become _emotional_ , was absolutely hysterical!

"YES, BUT HOW..?" Asgore asked again, smiling. "ARE YOU THE GUY SIS HAS BEEN DATING?"

Toriel spat out her tea. "GORY!!" Her face was a brilliant pink now.

"WHAT?? YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ON LIKE 40 DATES ALREADY!!"

Dance felt his heart drop. She had a boyfriend. _She had a boyfriend._ Of _course_ she had a boyfriend! Like anyone could pass up the opportunity to be around her! It had been a ridiculous notion to think she was single! Wait, why was he getting so upset? He had a wonderful Toriel waiting for him at home. A tall, graceful Toriel that he loved dearly (even if he still had no idea how she felt about him). Still... why did hearing that he had no chance with this smaller Toriel... hurt so much?

"I- we-" Toriel sputtered, face deepening in color. "They were _not_ DATES! We just- we told jokes, and-"

"SO IS THIS NOT THE GUY??" Asgore asked.

"NO! I mean- they are kinda alike, but..." She twiddled her thumbs, looking down. "...I don't think they are the same, exactly..."

Asgore raised an eyebrow. He was clearly missing something, but his question had been answered. Seeing he had gotten a rise out of both monsters, who were now both hiding in their hoods, trying to suppress the magic in their faces, Asgore decided it was time to change the subject. He smiled back at the group. "SO, WHAT-"

The sound of distant, familiar screaming, drifted into the room. Asgore perked up one of his ears like a dog, blinking in bewilderment. he knew that voice, intimately, but... He looked at Justice. Justice tilted her head to one side, not quite recognizing the noise at first. Slim blew a smoke ring, wondering if they should hide or not. He opted to lazily stay where he was. Dance cringed. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He should have known better.

Rus, like Asgore, recognized it immediately.

Undyne burst through the door, spear in one hand, tense, her scarlet ponytail lashing madly behind her. She had run as her top speed all the way from Waterfall. Her chest heaved. "GORY?!?!"

Asgore blinked, confused. He looked at Undyne, then Justice, then back again. "UNDYNE?! BUT- YOU- I-"

Undyne gripped the tiny monster by the shoulders. "I HEARD EVERYTHING FROM MAD DUMMY!!! Are you hurt? Where is he?! Where is the little fink that thinks he can get away with attacking you?!" She patted him over, checking for injury, CHECKing him over and over as though she couldn't trust her senses. Her facial expression showed plainly that she was flipping back and forth between worry and unbridled fury faster than her conscious mind could keep up. Justice noticed something odd about the behavior, but found herself distracted from that train of thought.

"What is she talking about?" Justice asked Slim.

Slim stuck his cigarette back in his teeth. "Red mighta had an episode... That's why I called Lust."

"What kind of episode?" Justice asked again, her voice showing her irritation. "Damn it, stop HIDING everything and just SAY-"

"Remember what happened to you when you fought him?" Slim cut her off. "That kind. Only at the kid."

Justice's eyes widened. That... was a _bad_ 'episode'.

Rus looked back at the friendly goat monster, worried for him. That could not have been the best first impression, and yet he had still been so gracious. The poor thing must be terribly frightened. He could only imagine. Rus had a newfound respect for this variant of Asgore. Bravery was something Rus admired, and aspired to.

The monster in question placed his paws on Undyne's hands, his already gentle features softening further with affection, his cheeks tinged a soft red. "I'M PERFECTLY FINE, UNDYNE!! NO HARM DONE!!"

"I felt a shockwave that knocked the piano upside down!!"

"ARE YOU SURE THAT WASN'T YOU??"

"Don't change the subject!!"

"I'M NOT!!"

"Yes you ARE! Tell me who attacked you!!"

"IT WAS JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING!!"

"I'll GIVE them a misunderstanding! I'll give them a misunderstanding so far up their a-"

"LANGUAGE!!"

Undyne took a deep breath, hugging the furry monster close to her chest, her eyes squeezing shut as she just _felt_ him there under her hands. "Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

Asgore smiled. "COMPLETELY!! BUT, UH, I'M STILL CONFUSED..."

"About what?" The fish monster inquired.

"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?"

"Doing what?"

"BEING IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE??"

Undyne pulled away from him. "What? I'm not-"

Asgore pointed behind him. Undyne followed with her eyes until they fell on Justice in the back. Her scales went pale, and she shrieked in something that was indistinguishable between astonishment and terror.

"That was embarrassing for both of us." Justice said flatly.

"HOW- WHAT-" Undyne sputtered.

"Do you watch anime?' Justice asked.

"Uh... yeah..?" Undyne answered. This felt so weird, talking to a complete replica of herself.

"Remember that spinoff movie of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie? With the mysterious stranger that turned out to be-"

"-Mew Mew Kissy Cutie from another timeline where-" 

"-Everything went to hell in a hand-basket and her love interest died so she-"

"-crossed space and time to save him?!" Undyne's body began to vibrate with excitement.

"Yup!" Justice grinned, leaning back into the wall. "Totally like that!"

"UNDYNE! I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT YET! YOU SPOILERED ME!!!" Rus complained.

"Oh, uh, sorry Paps. My bad." Justice shrugged.

"How?" Undyne sat down carefully next to Asgore, completely ignoring Dance, who scooted over so he wouldn't be squished.

"Sans." Justice said simply.

"What's a 'Sans'?"

Justice blinked. "Oh, uh, yeah, this universe is weird. Sans is Pap's big brother." She pointed at Rus with her thumb.

Undyne looked at Rus, shock once more racking her features. "Your maj-?!"

"HI!" Rus ginned, waving. "NICE TO MEET YOU, AGAIN!!!"

Asgore looked between everyone. "I AM LOST..."

"They're from an alternate dimension, Gory." Toriel clarified.

"REALLY?? THATS SO COOL!!" He turned back to the ones on the floor. "WHATS IT LIKE?! IS IT FUN?!"

"VERY FUN!!" Rus agreed. "WELL, OURS IS ANYWAY. I'VE ONLY BEEN TO ONE OTHER AND, UH, IT WAS... A WORK IN PROGRESS." Rus didn't want to say that Red's universe was bad (he didn't think anything was inherently bad), but he couldn't lie and say it had been the ideal experience either. It had its good points, and it's not so good points. Rus wanted to believe that the good points could outweigh the bad, given time and effort.

Dance made a noise, a guttural, breathy, mirthless laugh that might have been a snort in a creature with flesh. "That's the understatement of the year."

"It wasn't that bad." Slim drawled. "The food was good at least."

"Yeah, that totally makes up for being arrested." Dance muttered.

Undyne was about to inquire about why they had been arrested, and if she needed to take them to jail right then and there, when her thought process was interrupted.

"Is that still _eating_ at you?" Slim grinned.

"OH MY GOD DON'T YOU EVEN START!!" Rus shoved Slim gently.

"What are we starting?" Stretch asked. He and Comic had popped in sometime while Rus had been talking.

Asgore jumped. He hadn't heard them come in. Undyne jumped too, a spear coming into her hand as a reflex.

Stretch raised an eyebrow ridge. "Well, uh... Guess the cats outa the bag then."

"This doesn't look _fishy_ or anything," Comic grinned.

"SANS!!!" Rus exclamed. 

Undyne swallowed. It was another Papyrus. And a shorter skeleton that reminded her of something...

"I DIDN'T EVEN HEAR YOU COME IN!!!" Asgore exclaimed in awe.

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to scare you." Comic appologised. "Nice to meet ya, by the way. Asgore, right? Call me Comic."

"Stretch," The taller skeleton smiled. He could see his old friend in the smaller monster. It was like seeing him as a child. Or, at the very least, as a younger self. It was cute, and endearing, and made him feel warm inside.

"IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU BOTH." Asgore said. "WOULD YOU LIKE SOME TEA?"

"Sounds great," Stretch responded.

"Sure," Comic agreed, coming to sit next to his brother, leaning against him. Rus put his arm around Comic's shoulders. He could feel his big brother was cold, and tense, and clearly trying to hold something inside that, if Rus had to take a guess, needed to come out and be dealt with. But, knowing this was neither the time nor the place, he simply rubbed Comic's arm comfortingly. After a moment, he picked the smaller skeleton up and sat him in his lap, wrapping both arms around him in a platonic gesture of affection and closeness. Comic stiffened at first, but relaxed again, letting out a sigh as he leaned back into his little brother's much larger chest.

When Asgore went into the kitchen, Undyne addressed the group. "If any of you ever even LOOK at Gory the wrong way-"

"Wouldn't dream a- _trout_ it," Comic smiled.

"SANS!!"

"That's not something a gentle- _salmon_ would do," Slim smirked.

"I _pike_ the guy any- _ray_!" Stretch pointed out.

Comic felt the slight vibration against his back, the one of his brother's chest shaking. He grinned wider. " _Gar_ you alright, bro?"

And that was the breaking point. " _AROWANA_ HEAR ONE MORE AWFUL PUN FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!!!"

Comic's SOUL swelled a little. He was so proud. He, Stretch, Slim, Toriel, and Dance all broke into laughter. Justice and Undyne were less than impressed. Rus pouted, holding Comic a bit tighter around his shoulders. Comic gripped one of his wrists and nuzzled back, still shaking with laughter. Rus couldn't really be anything but relieved: some of the tension had eased from his brother.

Stretch looked around, as if just noticing something. "Where's Lust?"

"Shed. With Red." Slim answered.

"Is he feeling better?" Stretch asked, taking a seat on the floor, crossing his legs.

"Well enough to put Red in his place..." Dance muttered again. He finished his tea and went back to fiddling with the parts in his basket.

"What did Red do?" Comic sounded like he kind of knew what to expect.

"What he always does: make an ass of himself." Dance muttered.

"Is he alright?" Stretch sounded worried. Dance gave him a 'like I care,' look, then looked back down at the parts.

{ _Just PTSD. Nothing unusual._ } Slim signed, letting more smoke flit between his teeth, nudging his head towards Asgore.

Stretch shifted his eyelights. { _Asgore?_ }

{ _Did anyone get hurt?_ } Comic signed hastily.

{ _No. We handled it. Set back Lust's recovery though._ } Slim shrugged. { _Priorities._ }

"Quit with the creepy hand signs!!" Justice whined in the most angry way possible.

Undyne watched quietly, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "You understand that crap?"

"Uh..." Comic stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Maybe?"

"Does it mean something to you?" Justice asked.

"Yeah! Well, no... its... I see His Majesty make gestures like that all the time... When he thinks he's alone, you know? Like it's some kinda... Anyway, He repeats the same stuff a lot. I started noticing a pattern. What's this mean?" She gripped one wrist in her other hand, focusing her attention on the movements of her fingers (she wasn't very good at it, and her motions were exceedingly slow compared to the skeletons. Gradually, she spelled out the symbols she recognized.

{ _G A S T E R S A N S_ }

Everyone's faces fell as she signed, especially Comic's. The joviality that had once held sway in the room was snuffed out, replaced by melancholy. Undyne waited, but the silence grated at her. "Well? Whats it mean?"

Comic coughed. "It's uh, just gibberish..."

Rus pulled Comic closer to him, discerning that tremor in his voice that meant he was lying. Rus wondered if this was to hide something, or if it was to spare somebody's feelings. He couldn't say he approved, but judging from the shift in the ambiance, he was willing to give his brother the benefit of the doubt this time.

Undyne let her hand fall back into her lap, trying her best to suppress her disappointment. She had hoped that if she knew what it meant, she could help put an end to those looks on her king's face, the sadness, the loneliness that creeped into his eyes in those brief moments that he felt he could allow them to see the light of day. She had hoped that perhaps she could learn what it was he would never put into words for her. She sighed, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. "So why are you all here? Is there some horrible event that is going to befall us that requires help from the future?" Undyne pulled her legs up, sitting cross legged on the couch.

"We aren't from the future, we're from alternate realities. Other universes." Stretch corrected gently.

"We're just passing through," Comic assured her. "We would have left already if it wasn't for one of us being... uh... _bone_ tired."

"As soon as Lust is feeling better, we'll get out of your hair. Don't worry." Stretch smiled.

"That doesn't explain why you would leave your kingdom to go universe hopping," Undyne pointed out.

Stretch laughed softly. "None of us are royalty."

Undyne dug her fingers into her legs, grounding herself so she didn't get dizzy from all the information. It was a lot to take in at once. She took a deep breath.

"We aren't all from the same universe either." Justice offered. "There are- uh..." She looked at Comic. "How many?"

Comic sighed. It was an innocent enough question at this point. "Six universes, counting ours, not counting the one we are in right now."

"Although Lust and Red aren't present to represent," Stretch reminded them.

"Thats fine. They make us look bad anyway," Dance mumbled, shoving a particularly stubborn part into place in his half-finished device.

Asgore came back into the room, handing Stretch and Comic their tea with a warm smile that both of them recognized. He then sat back down next to Undyne. "SO! TELL ME! WHATS IT LIKE WHERE YOU ALL COME FROM??"

Rus grinned. "IT'S WONDERFUL BACK HOME!! THE SNOW IS LOVELY! EVERYONE IS FRIENDLY AND KIND! I HAVE ONE OF THE BEST JOBS IN THE UNDERGROUND!! MY BROTHER AND I ARE SENTRIES, AND I'M TRAINING TO BE IN THE ROYAL GUARD! UNDYNE GIVES ME PRIVATE LESSONS ALL THE TIME!"

"REALLY?! ME TOO!!" Asgore grinned back.

"Ya got a long way to go though, don't you, Paps?" Justice teased, putting Rus in a headlock from behind and grinding her knuckles into his skull.

"PLEASE DON'T NUGGIE THE SKELETON!" Rus pleaded in mock injury, one eye squeezed shut, joviality spreading across his face.

Undyne eyed them, getting the completely wrong idea about their relationship. She gripped onto Asgore's paw, thumbing his wrist just inside his glove discretely. Asgore bristled, turning red under his fur, his grin widening.

Comic leaned back, a contented look on his face. He didn't have anything meaningful to add to that assessment of his world.

Asgore looked at Slim, seeing him as the next one in line. Slim blinked, not expecting to have to participate in this part of the conversation. He pulled his cigarette from his mouth, thoughtful. "It's hell. But that's fine with me, so long as I got my bro." Stretch shot him a look that clearly expressed how much he did not like what he just said, no matter how true it may be. Slim shrugged, not the least bit sorry.

Asgore wasn't sure how to respond to that. His smile fell visibly, and he shifted closer to Undyne. "I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT..." He said at last.

Slim took a drag. "Don't be, lil guy. Ain't nothing worth being sorry over."

"IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP??" The furry monster asked without thinking.

Slim grinned. "Not really, but if ya got any maple syrup, it'll help take the sting out." He was only half joking - he hadn't had his most innocent fix in weeks.

Stretch raised an eyebrow. "Syrup? Really?"

"Like honey is any better," Slim shot back.

"You're both gross," Dance pointed out.

"Says the guy who chugs ketchup," Stretch returned.

"I'm not the only one, am I Comic?"

"Nope!" Comic grinned. "Ketchup is great!"

"NO IT IS NOT!! IT IS VERY GROSS AND UNHEALTHY!!!" Rus said firmly. "YOU NEED TO EAT BETTER!! IT'S NO WONDER YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ENERGY!!"

Undyne just sat there cringing at the idea of eating plain condiments of any kind.

* * *

Lust nuzzled up closer to Red, listening to the rush of his magic inside his bones, feeling the slight motions of his rib cage as he slept. It had been harder than he expected to wear him out, but Lust didn't mind. It just made the end result all the more satisfying. Lust shifted his head to look at Red's face. He was completely relaxed, mouth hanging open, a little bit of drool dripping between his fangs. Lust reached up and wiped it away, his hand lingering to stroke at the tender place behind Red's jaw. Red nuzzled into the attention, his keen senses not detecting any threat from the touch, his instincts allowing him to remain at rest.

Lust felt as though he had been allowed the affection of a proud beast, had been chosen by a noble creature that did not give away such things lightly. It was like having a particularly ornery, picky cat deign to nap upon your lap, only a thousand times more meaningful. His SOUL swelled with gratitude and pride. Lust again felt that sweet, soothing warmed that had nothing to do with physical gratification, so strong it almost made him want to cry.

Lust let his hand fall way, laying it on Red's sternum, and nuzzled closer still, breathing in the scent that clung to his leather jacket. Red let out a sound of dissatisfaction, and rolled over on his side so he was facing Lust, his one arm draping over him. Lust looked up, finding Red had curled down a little so he was in a somewhat protective position, his head cushioned with his other arm, letting out a soft huff as he pulled Lust in closer by his spine. Lust clutched at Red's jacket, bracing his forehead against his breast bone. This. This was everything Lust could ask for. He didn't even care that they were on a hardwood floor, in a drafty old shed. He had never been picky about the 'where' to begin with.

They lay there, completely at peace, until Lust began to feel the ache in his side, pressed to a floor without any cushion. He ground his teeth in irritation. He didn't want to get up yet. His hip and ribs and spine rebelled, the ache getting stronger as if in response to his defiance of their wants. Lust sighed, clacking his teeth tenderly to Red's sternum before pulling away.

Rubbing his hip, Lust fixed his clothes, making himself presentable. He then carefully moved Red onto the dog bed, in the hopes of minimizing the chances of Red waking up while he was gone. The skeleton let loose a few low growls, but just curled up into the pseudo furniture, never once opening his eyes. Lust checked on Red's discarded sweater. It was still a bit damp. Lust spread it out flat on the floor next to the dog bed, hoping the increased surface area would assist in the drying process. He then pet Red's head one last time before leaving.

Lust shivered in the wind outside. He hadn't been this satisfied in he couldn't remember when, and the total lack of any internal heat made him realize just how exposed his bones were to the elements. To make matters worse, it was beginning to get dark, the scant warmth of the evening light fading into the chill of night. He began to wish he had brought that lovely orange sweater that Rus had lent him before as he rushed to the front door and made his way inside.

Lust was immediately hit with the smell of tea and scones. There were plates of both scattered all over the floor. In the middle of the livingroom sat the group, plus Asgore and Undyne, playing cards. Dance and Toriel had chosen to sit the game out, the two of them sitting on the couch, watching. Slim had leaned himself against the wall, drifting off to sleep on his feet.

"What did I miss?" Lust asked, grinning as he closed the door behind him.

Dance looked up, glaring before going back to his work on his little side project. Toriel blushed, remembering the last time she and Lust had had an encounter, and drank more tea.

Stretch looked up, grinning. "You're alright!"

Lust chuckled. "Better than ever."

"You ready to go yet?" Slim asked, curious.

"Maybe..? But do you really want to risk it? Besides, we only just met our new furry friends!" Lust sat down between Dance and Toriel, a relaxed smile on is face. "At this point, it can wait until morning."

"That's fair," Stretch said, playing a card. "We haven't had any sleep in a while..."

"Who could sleep in a place like that?" Dance muttered, turning the device in his hands over and flipping the switch. The small lights on it glowed a dull red, then slowly turned green, one by one. Dance pulled out his phone to test if it worked. Before he got the chance, however, Slim's phone rang loudly, making the monster jump, scrambling to answer it. The ringtone was insistent, almost commanding. Dance snapped his head to the side, watching in delight and a little shock. Did it work?

Slim flipped the phone open, his hand shaking a bit. "Hello..?" he held the phone away as loud indiscernible screaming came through the other end. Dance heard some static and interference come though, and adjusted the device in his lap to try and get rid of it. He had to strain his hearing to get the desired effect, but soon the majority of the static was gone.

Slim cringed, waiting for the loud voice on the other end of the line to pause. "I'm sorry... I can explain ev-" The shouting resumed, making Slim flinch. He took hold of the doorknob, going outside to have this conversation with as much privacy as possible.

Dance blinked, looking back down at his very much functioning device.

"What was that?" Stretch asked, looking after Slim.

"A phone call, obviously." Justice said as she played her card, not understanding the implications.

"Question is, from whom?" Comic played his card, a tad worried.

"Probably his brother," Dance thought out loud.

Lust looked at him. "How?! He's back in-"

Dance held up his device, grinning. "It works!"

"What did you do?" Stretch looked at the device with alarm and admiration.

Dance smirked. "Just built an RF frequency amplifier to pass radio waves though space-time. Uses the same principle as The Machine, just smaller..." he looked at all the incredulous expressions directed at him around the room. He set the device to the side, pulling his hood up. "What?"

"When did you have time to design this?" Comic asked.

Dance shifted. "Thought of it back in those cells..."

"That's amazing... You built a device to communicate with other dimensions?!" Toriel was in awe.

"Lemme try!" Justice pulled out her phone, dialing. She held the phone to her head, waiting for the ringing to stop. "Alphys? ...Okay, quick question: who is the King?" She waited, her grin splitting her face when she heard the stuttered response. "Perfect. You are NEVER going to believe where I am right now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the guy's favorite condiments:  
> Comic: Ketchup  
> Red: Mustard  
> Slim: Maple Syrup  
> Stretch: Honey  
> Lust: Mayo  
> Dance: Ketchup
> 
> ~ hehehe... Mustard and Mayo both go well on sandwiches together... ;)
> 
> ~ Once again it is an Undyne that breaks into the house. I am sensing a pattern of behavior.
> 
> ~ Gory is such a cinnabun I can't get over it he is so cute jfc
> 
> ~ When Rus gets pushed too far he will make a pun or two of his own... it makes Comic so happy.
> 
> ~ AT!Gaster canonically spoke in WingDings ("hands") and English (I'm assuming Aster but nothing confirms it). My headcanon is that sometimes he would get excited and forget to use english, so both AT!Paps and AT!Sans know "hands". Now with Gaster dead, and AT!Sans gone away, AT!Paps sometimes does "hands" for himself, because he misses them and it is just this nostalgic thing he does. Undyne noticed.
> 
> ~ Dance built an interdimensional transmitter out of spare parts _because he was bored_ and stressed.
> 
> ~ Whoever it was that called Slim, they are very upset, can you tell?


	31. Phonecalls / An Alter in Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which naming conventions are temporarily out the goddamn window as we see the events from two completely different perspectives. Also we get to see a little further behind the mask of Slim's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not much happens here. This is basically fluff. Maybe more will happen next chapter?

Razz paced back and forth in front of his couch, his irritability making it impossible to sleep. He had been getting less and less sleep over the past two weeks, and it had long since started fraying at his cognitive processes. Usually, when rest eluded him, he simply ordered his brother, the mutt, to sooth him. And Papyrus had always been very good at soothing him.

However, that was the actual problem: Papyrus was missing. He had been missing for two weeks. _Two weeks._ Razz had looked everywhere: he scowered the snowy woodland area surrounding town, leaving no stone, no bush, no tree unturned (he had in fact ripped up more than one tree and tossed it aside like so much garbage during the most recent hunt, almost squishing one of his subordinates in the process); he turned up every rock and flower in Waterfall, even so much as diving into the murky depths of the lakes to trudge up any sign at the bottom; he had torn Hotlands to ribbons, breaking all the insufferable vents and lasers as he made his way through the area like the unstoppable war machine that he was; he even tried to storm the castle at New Home, but was dragged from the gates kicking and screaming by Alphys (in hindsight, he was thankful the usually hot-tempered lizard had been the voice of reason -- if Papyrus actually had been arrested, he would have been one of the first to know). As the days became weeks, Razz had searched again and again. He had begun to think that maybe the idiot had gotten himself killed, and his dust was long scattered in the wind that inexplicably blew through the Underground. The thought made Razz want to let go of what little self control he still possessed, lashing out at anything and everything that dared to cross his path.

But Razz was not a fool. He was smart. He knew that the moment he broke, it was all over, and he had lost what little hope he still had of getting his dog, his servant, his brother, back. So he set his shoulders, cinched his resolve, and continued his searching.

As the days had passed, Razz had begun a certain routine. Like today, he would wake up three hours earlier than he needed to each morning, then make a full run of the Underground, from Snowdin to New Home, checking all the most likely places while he badgered Undyne to check her camera feeds. It was a two way trip, which brought him right back to Snowdin just in time to start his morning. He would make breakfast, tend to the prisoner in his shed that he had acquired less than a week or so ago, then make his rounds of the area, whipping the Canine Unit into shape and scaring the locals back in line. He maintained his outer facade, acting as though nothing was wrong, that there was not a gap in his defenses now that his guard dog was absent. He couldn't have them thinking that he was unqualified for his job as Captain of the Royal Guard simply because he was _sans a brother_.

Damn it. Papyrus would have loved that one.

Razz would start off towards Waterfall to meet with Alphys around noon, and they would exchange information. They would engage in a healthy if violent sparring match, to keep their skills sharp, then rest in a comforting silence until Razz was done patching himself up and went back to the familiar cold of his domain.

This of course, assumed that nobody decided to step out of line that day; which was much more frequently, since now everyone knew that Razz's reaction time was severely handicapped thanks to the absence of his teleporting minion. Mad Dummy and Jim the Flower were becoming increasingly obnoxious, fighting over territory in Waterfall nearly every other day. By the time he got to the scene, the two had long since left the area, making punishing them increasingly difficult, which only made Razz even more irritable.

On days like that, like today, he had to escape into the depths of the Waterfall caverns, and stare blankly up at the false stars, admiring the few glittering stones still left embedded in the walls of the cave, high enough that poachers could not reach them. On days like today, he would take off his boots and let his feet hang in the water, and lean back and stare up at the twinkling remains of what had once been the closest thing to a sky the Underground had. And he would refuse to cry. Because he was the Malevolent Sans, the Captain of the Royal Guard, hear his name and tremble.

He did not get lonely.

He did not yearn for a chance to see the sun.

He was pragmatic, and practical. He was not some daydreamer who thought that the world could change for the better.

He knew it only ever got worse.

And now it had. His mutt had been taken from him.

His stupid, lazy, dim witted, pathetic excuse for a mutt, who's greatest contribution to the world had been his devotion to Razz in every sense of the word.

Razz would then kick the water, as he had today, shake his feet dry, pull his boots back on, and stomp home, his crystal clear eye lights pulsing with a harsh neon purple, framing the chilling white pinpricks that expressed in no uncertain terms that he was to be left alone.

He would, like today, march into his home, slam the door shut, and proceed to try and use up his energy by any means: cleaning, cooking, tending to the prisoner he had locked up in his shed, cleaning again, laundry, polishing his armor, and when that was all done, by pacing.

Which was what he was doing right now.

Razz fell back into the couch, tired of being so emotionally charged. He fished out his phone, flipping it open to reveal the image of him and Papyrus, the only real sign of his affection he allowed on his person at any given time. He ground his teeth, speeding through his contacts and calling his brother's phone number, as he had done every night since his disappearance.

Cell phones were expensive. If someone had attacked him, they would be foolish to leave such a valuable piece of equipment, if not to keep it for themselves, then to at least pawn it off. So either his brother would eventually answer, or someone else would.

Either way, Razz would have a target to unleash his fury upon.

So far, however, nobody had picked up the phone. He hardly got a dial tone, mostly just static and a strange screeching, a cross between the noise that you got when the phone was off, and when it was out of range.

However, tonight, the dial tone rang out.

Razz tensed. This was it. This was the moment that would decide someone's fate. Whoever answered the phone was going to feel his wrath. And only one voice would evoke any kind of MERCY.

The ringing stopped. A nervous voice, clouded by static, pealed through the receiver.

"Hello..?"

_Papyrus._

Razz sat straight up. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!" He snarled, using all his willpower to prevent his hand from crushing the innocent device. "YOU DISOBEDIENT CUR!! YOU MONGREL! YOU ASS! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?! WHY HAVEN'T YOU ANSWERED YOUR PHONE?! YOU USELESS SHIT! YOU BITCH!! YOU- YOU-!!" Razz seemed to run out of insults, taking a breath, trying to shove down the bubbling emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

The submissive, almost timid voice came from the other line, the static mostly dissipated from the signal. "I'm sorry... I can explain ev-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES!!!" Razz howled into the phone, pacing again to try and work off his energy. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE IN SO MUCH FUCKING TROUBLE YOU STUPID MUTT!! GET YOUR LAZY USELESS ASS HOME RIGHT THIS STARS DAMNED MINUTE!!"

"...M'Lord... I cannot..." Papyrus's voice almost sounded heartbroken.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU 'CANNOT'?!" Razz screamed.

"I'm in another universe, M'Lord..."

Razz stopped. "Another-?! ANOTHER-?! DON'T YOU LIE TO ME, MUTT!!!"

On the other end of the line, Slim pulled his hood up to fend off the chill, leaning back against the front door of the house that was and yet was not his. He had to fight back tears, covering his burning eyes with his free and as he slid down and sat in the fetal position, his long legs pulled into his chest as far as they would go without losing his traction and balance. There was nobody here to put up a front for, nobody to impress with his value, so he let the moisture fall between his fingers as he kept his voice in check.

There had been a RESET. His brother had no idea where he had been this whole time. His visit before might as well have never occurred. Slim shook with his shame, his guilt, his sorrow. He was a monster that could kill without batting an eye, without feeling anything but annoyance at being pushed into a situation that required him to extend the effort of doing so, but hearing that almost indiscernible tremble of worry and fear in his little brothers voice was enough to undo all the walls around his heart and bring him crashing down. It was made worse because he was so far away, so far out of reach, that Slim could do nothing to ease the other monster's pain.

He had one job, to take care of his brother, his master, his Lord, and he couldn't even do that right.

"...I would never lie to you, M'Lord..." Was all Slim could think to say.

Razz growled. "Photo. Now." He ordered. "I want you to show me where you are."

Slim did not hesitate. He had an order. He stepped out further in front of the house, taking a selfie in front of it. The image was a tad dark, the light of dusk almost completely gone, but it was still enough to identify the location. Slim then went back to his position on the porch, curling back up against the door as though, if he got close enough, he could pretend that his precious person was just on the other side. He sent it, not knowing if it would actually go through, but too eager to please at the moment to think clearly.

Razz got the image, recognized what was his own home, and immediately wrenched the front door open. He looked around outside, the light streaming out from the doorway showing him there was no sign of his brother anywhere. There were not even any footprints in the snow. Slim could have easily taken the picture and teleported elsewhere, but he could not remove the trace energy his magic would have left behind, or the footprints that would have been made in his passing.

Razz checked the timestamp data on the image. It was taken only moments ago, the data showing only a 1-3 minute difference, which could be accounted for by the delay in transfer. He closed the door, leaning against the inside, sinking onto the plush carpet as his legs spread out in front of him. "...I suppose I did train you too well to lie to me..."

All he got in reply was a whimper. Slim couldn't trust his voice at the moment.

Razz sighed, letting his emotions slide away as he leaned his head back against the door, closing his eyes and picturing his brother just on the other side, a useless mess barely holding together at the seams. Razz would never admit it, but he had a respect for his brother's seemingly endless BRAVERY and strength (even if he did not usually have the drive to put it to use), and it dug into the most tender parts of his SOUL when he knew the taller monster's foundations had crumbled under him and left him without a leg to stand on. Every time it happened, Razz would sit next to him and pet his head, soothing the nightmares he had no business asking about, and reassuring him silently that Razz had everything under control. Slim might have been older, but it was Razz who took charge, because it was Razz who had the PERSEVERANCE to continue on even when everything fell apart around them.

They were two halves of the same whole, each with the strengths necessary to hold the other up, complementary forces that propelled them forward and made it possible to overcome the many hardships that had been their lot in life.

And now his pet was left somewhere unfathomably far away, without a guiding hand to show him how to make it back. And Razz had been left behind, without the resources to do anything about it.

"Explain." Razz commanded.

Slim focused on the voice, grounding himself in it. His brother was safe. He was fine. He didn't even sound angry anymore. The worry was still there, the tiniest tremor that nobody but Slim would have even noticed, but the anger had dissipated.

"An accident occurred, during which multiple temporal anomalies resonated and caused my teleportation to bring me into another universe, along with several others with similar capabilities..."

"You are not alone?" Razz clicked his teeth. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, Slim had an easier time getting himself to work when it concerned others. On the other hand, that might put him in danger.

"No, M'Lord. We have made an alliance, working towards the common goal of returning home."

"You have a plan to return, then?"

"Yes, M'Lord."

"Are any of these... alternate universe denizens... a threat?"

"Only if they are against us, and not with us." Slim said diplomatically. "A strong enemy can become a strong ally."

"And have you made allies?"

"Yes M'Lord. All five of them are notably useful. One has LV comparable to mine, and while the rest are much lower, their LV belies their skills."

Razz pondered this. "What is your ETA?" That was the big question. How long would it be before Papyrus could come home?

Slim thought about it. "We are... Close... We have been building a machine to allow us to travel more freely between universes by amplifying the temporal anomalies we already know how to create... however, there have been... unforeseen setbacks."

"Setbacks?" Razz didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes, M'Lord. We had completed a first prototype, but it was... destroyed. We are working on a second prototype, however it is becoming more difficult to find the parts necessary for completion."

"How are you gathering these parts?"

Slim paused. "We are using our collective energy to transverse space-time, and travel through universes."

"If you can do that, what is keeping you from returning now?!" Razz growled.

"We are currently only able to travel between universes when all six of us pool our efforts..."

Razz saw the problem. "And the machine you mentioned..."

"Will allow for one of us to achieve the same result, yes."

Razz picked delicately at the carpet under him. "If you are in another universe, how is it we are speaking now?"

Slim wiped his eyes, done crying. "It is possible that someone, somewhere, built an amplifier on the same principle as our machine, but on a smaller scale... one that boosted radio waves..."

"How long will the effect last?"

"As long as the device causing it lasts."

"See to it you make it last. I expect to be able to contact you at all times."

"Yes, M'Lord."

Razz sighed again, forcing his body to relax. His dog was fine. He had no reason to be upset. Being upset would get him nowhere. "You are still being punished when you return, mutt. Your little escapade has caused me no end of inconveniences."

"Yes, M'Lord." Slim smiled softly. He looked forward to it.

* * *

Alphys was pacing back and forth, occasionally looking up at her large monitor. It had been almost two days since she had heard anything from Undyne. It wasn't unusual for them to go days without talking (Undyne was very busy as Captain of the Royal Guard, and Alphys was an introvert), but she always saw some sign of the fish monster on the surveillance footage. This complete absence of her presence was unprecedented.

Alphys was just about to cycle through the camera feeds (for the hundredth time) when her phone went off. It was Undyne's ringtone! She started shaking, her palms sweating, her nervousness making her whimper. The lizard monster did a few quick breathing exercises, telling herself to be calm, before answering the phone. "H-h-hello?"

"Alphys?" It was Undyne's voice.

Alphys froze. She was alright! "Y-y-yes..?"

"Okay, quick question," The fish monster said quickly, "Who is the King?"

Alphys was thrown off by that one. "A-a-Asgore is... You k-know that b-b-better than a-anyone... Undyne, where have you b-been? You've been m-m-missing for, like-"

"Perfect." Undyne cut her off, her voice betraying the grin she must have had on her face. "You are NEVER going to believe where I am right now!"

"T-t-try me..." Alphys responded softly.

"Check it out: I'm in ANOTHER DIMENSION!!!"

Alphys blinked, then laughed nervously. "G-g-good one, Undyne. But be s-serious."

"I AM being serious! Here, I'll show you!"

Alphys listened as she heard Undyne pressing buttons on her phone. She heard the monster's voice distantly, speaking away from the receiver. "Does that thing let you send pictures too?" There was a more distant voice, someone further away from the phone than it could pick up, and more button pressing. Undyne's strong excited laugh cut through the signal. "Let's find out then!"

After a while, Alphys received the image file. She pulled it up. It was a selfie of Undyne... with... Undyne... and a bunch of other monsters, one of which she recognized as Sans... and Papyrus... and another Papyrus... and...

"U-U-Undyne!! W-what is this?! Some kind of prank?? I didn't even know you could do d-d-digital image alteration... It's so well done it l-looks real..."

"Thats because it IS real!" Undyne's voice responded.

Alhpys heard someone, it sounded like Sans, say something in the background:  
~~"I can already _picture_ the look on her face..!"~~  
...then the spark of his infectious laughter. Papyrus's voice murmured something in response:  
~~"I can only _image_ -ine what she must be thinking..!"~~  
...then both began laughing harder. Then Papyrus's voice pierced the background, through the sound of... Papyrus's (?) and Sans's laughter:  
~~"NO MORE PUNS, PLEASE!!!"~~  
But the laughter of Sans... and Papyrus... intensified.

"SHUT UP YOU WEENIES I'M ON THE PHONE!!" Undyne half shouted, only the slightest hint of forced annoyance in her voice. She was clearly enjoying this, and no amount of stupid puns was going to ruin her experience. "Alph, whats it gonna take to prove to you I'm telling the truth?"

Alphys thought for a moment. "A-as a scientist, it would t-t-take e-empirical evidence... Maybe if I c-c-could find r-r-readings that s-s-supported the idea that you w-were, uh... outside our c-concept of space-time? Like m-microwaves or rad- OH! RADIO WAVES!!" Alphys ran to her computer, her stubby out of shape body crashing into the chair and practically dropping the phone onto the desk as she got to work. She distantly heard Undyne on the other end, concern tinging her boisterous voice, but Alphys had been hit by inspiration and was not in the necessary state of mind to respond.

Alphys pulled up the cell tower program, the central system that allowed for cell phone usage throughout the underground. It hadn't been one of her creations, so she had mostly forgotten about it (only ever paying any attention to it when the system went down and required maintenance). However, now it had her full attention. She cycled through the data on currently ongoing calls until she found the one she wanted, then sent a PING out to Undyne's phone, triangulating her location.

The readings... the results... it was unbelievable, but the proof lay right in front of her face.

Alphys snatched up the phone again, babbling, her stutter lost in her excitement. "Oh emm gee, Undyne! Do you know what this means?! This is irrefutable proof of alternate realities!! And it didn't even require the use of unstable and finicky materials like dark matter or- or anything!! This is amazing! How did you- when did you- how did you manage-?!" Then a thought struck her. "Oh geez, Undyne, _how did you get over there?!_ A-Are you hurt? Are y-you stuck? Are you l-l-lost?!"

"Calm down, girl." Undyne soothed. "I'm fine. Got into a bit of a scuffle a while back, but I'm at 100% right now, I promise. As for the how? Sans."

"S-s-Sans?!" Alphys had to sit back down. "How did- w-w-when did he-?! I t-thought he had r-retired..."

Undyne was silent a moment, but Alphys could hear the grinding of her fangs against each other. "Point is, I'm here. And it's... well, it's pretty awesome!"

"T-Tell me all about it!" Alphys practically whined with her eagerness, scrambling for a notepad and a pen. "What are the s-s-similarities? What are t-the differences?"

Undyne hummed as she thought. "Well, I haven't seen much outside the house..."

"W-what house..?"

"Oh, uh, Asgore and Toriel's house."

"Asgore's- A-are you at the c-c-castle?! Who's T-t-toriel?"

"What? No! Uh, Asgore in this universe is... heh heh heh, lemme show you..."

After another moment, Alphys received another image. It was of Asgore (Gory), standing in his purple battle body, tugging at his scarf nervously as he looked over the room in front of him, a smile tugging at his maw. Alphys felt her nose bleed a little, her face heating up. "OH EEM GEE!! HE IS SO CUTE!!!"

"I know, right?!" Undyne's smile was back. "I knew you'd get a kick out of it! Nothing like King Fluffybuns at all, is he?"

"S-so this is the Asgore of the universe you're currently in... It's... it's..." Alphys wiped the blood from her nose. "It's fascinating..." That wasn't really the word she was looking for, but it worked. "So who is this T-t-Toriel person?"

"Asgore's little sister. They live here in this house... It's actually supposed to be Papyrus's house... but, uh, apparently in this universe, Paps is King, so..."

Alphys scribbled down notes rapidly. "So Asgore and Papyrus switched places... Fascinating! Does Sans exist in that universe?"

"Actually, I have no idea. Other Me didn't know jack about him though, so maybe not?"

Alphys tapped her claw thoughtfully on the paper, scribbling a note, then went back to her interrogation. "Is it safe to assume that the laws of physics are the same over there?"

"Lemme ask." Undyne held the phone away. "Hey, someone smart tell me if the Laws of Physics are the same here as back home!"

Sans's voice drifted faintly through. ~~"Pretty much, yeah."~~

 ~~"If you're going to keep this up, just put it on speaker already!!"~~ 'Undyne's voice said with exasperation.

"Maybe I don't wanna," Undyne retorted.

 ~~"We'll be going back in the morning, so why not hold off the questions until then?"~~ 'Sans's voice drifted, sounding harsher, a bit more bitter, while at the same time more melodic.

"I-I don't want to keep you... We can t-t-talk later... I want to w-w-write down all my q-q-questions anyway..."

"If you're sure... I guess it is getting late, huh? Well, talk to you later Alph!"

"G-g-good night, Undyne..."

The signal cut off, cutting sharply to a dial tone that Alphys quickly turned off. She then flipped back to the pictures she had been sent, settling down to admire the image of the two Undynes. Alphys found herself wishing she could have been there, could have experienced the reality of there being two wonderful fish monsters in the same room. Her face heated up, her scales turning a brilliant pink, thinking about all the ways the scenario could have, ideally, played out.

For Alphys, tonight, anime was real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ So Swapfell had a reset... and considering the fact that Razz no longer remembers when Slim brought the group over, that means that those two dogs Red dusted are probably alive again...
> 
> ~ Who or what does Razz have in his shed?
> 
> ~ Do I smell fontcest or is that just creepy brotherly love? Only time will tell.
> 
> ~ The jokemasters in the background tho XD
> 
> ~ I don't think Dance is pleased that Justice brought UT!Alphys into this
> 
> ~ I get the feeling Alphys is going to be the one who names the universes...
> 
> ~ FINALLY A SIGN OF ALPHYNE!! WOOOOH!!!


	32. The Ties that Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some ships set sail, and Alphys asks some questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of action here, but I'd like to think there is comedy.

Red began to realize he was warm. It wasn't an internal warmth either. No, he was warm because of something from the outside. He found he liked it.

As his mind crawled out of the gentle embrace of sleep, Red began to notice other things. For example, he was laying on something with cushion, the soft substance holding his entire body up with a tenderness that set off a few alarm bells (he NEVER slept on anything with this much cushion except his own bed, and that should not be possible). However, those warnings were silenced by the part of his mind that said it was a pleasant experience, and not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He relaxed into the softness, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.

Next, Red noticed one of the reasons he was warm: he was covered in a large cloth article, a blanket of some sort from the feel of it on his bones. There were localized places where the softness was offset by something hard, all along his left side and around his left leg. He realized his left arm was weighed down, although the weight was something he could easily throw off. He shifted, experimentally, and bristled, because some of that hardness had entangled itself in his ribs and the movement had sent shivers throughout his bones.

All of his bones. Holy shit he was naked. Why was he naked?! That roused him from complacency, bringing the rest of his senses on full alert. Keeping his eyes closed and dark so as not to alert anyone else who might be in the room of his wakefulness, he did a scan with his other senses. He had free movement (with the exception of the inconsequential weight on his left), with no trace of any bindings. Yes, his clothes were gone, but he was covered from the his second ribs down in the blanket.

The weight on his side seemed to respond to the tension in his body, pressing itself closer. The things in his ribs, which Red now recognized as the fingers of one hand, stroked the inner surface of the bone, petting lightly, sleepily. Another hand, which from the slightest shifting under his left arm was curled under him and bent upward, pressed down gently on his skull, petting him soothingly, the gentle touch of the fingers gliding along his bones in lazy circles. Then the motions stopped, a breathy sigh drifting through the air, the wisp of its source caressing his clavicle, and the weight went limp again.

Red opened one eye, looking down at his left to see the weight he was certain he had already identified. Sure enough, there was Lust, curled up in the crook of his arm, snuggling against him under the blanket, one arm wrapped under his, coming up to lay against his head, the other entangled in his rib cage, the weak grip sending tingles over the surface of his bones. Lust was wearing his own clothing, the softness of his vest lining tickling the inside of Red's humerus, the supple texture of his leather pants gliding along his femur where their legs entwined.

Red should have been furious, or at least repulsed. He should have shot out of bed, scrambling as fast as lightning to locate and pull on his clothes. He should have started swearing at the top of his lungs, shaking the skeleton that was clearly invading his personal space hard enough to give him whiplash. He should have summoned an attack and dusted him then and there.

But he didn't.

For some reason, Red couldn't bring himself to move. He froze up, his instincts completely shutting down under the pressure of this new, warm feeling that spread out from his SOUL, filling him from head to toe. He tensed, feeling the beginnings of a panic attack at the new sensation, sweat building up on his skull. Lust didn't wake up, but his hands began moving again, unconsciously responding to his companion's distress. Red shivered, torn between fighting off the responses elicited from his body, and giving into them. Going against everything he had trained himself for, Red gave in, relaxing into the touch, letting his body sink back into the softness of the mattress he found himself on. He wasn't in any danger. There was no need to waste his energy. Besides, he wasn't done assessing his situation.

After Lust went back into a deeper sleep, his motions tapering off to stillness, Red looked around further. He was still in the Shed, the too-wide bars visible if he tilted his head to one side. He moved his head again, looking at the rest of the room. He could see his cloths laid out neatly on the floor, shorts, sweater, coat and socks spread to their full extent, looking a bit crumpled but dry, his sneakers placed together close by. The dog bed had been pushed up against the wall, making room for a second mattress.

Slim lay there on his side, one hand hanging off the edge of his mattress as it held a burning cigarette between two knuckles, head propped up on his other hand. He had a shit eating grin on his face as he put the stick back between his teeth, smoke from his nasal passage flitting though the air to join the smoke from the end of the butt. His hand fell back down to hang off the side again, a few fingers stretching to touch the wood floor, although they didn't quite reach. He looked so amused it was obscene.

Red felt himself flush, as though he had been caught doing something unseemly. He opened his mouth to repudiate the situation in no uncertain terms, only to be cut off by the hand signals of the larger monster.

{ _Do you really want to wake him up?_ } Slim signed, his smug grin getting noticeably wider as he realized Red had indeed keep silent.

{ _I don't give a shit if he wakes up or not!_ } Red signed back, not realizing until it was too late that his actions had betrayed him. He ground his teeth, claws clenching into fists, until he just, let go, let his body and his emotions fall away. He threw his head back, facing the wood ceiling, trying to figure out just what it was that he had found himself in. When he couldn't find any answer that made sense, he let his eye lights drift to the edge of his sockets, first to look down at Lust, then to glare at Slim.

Slim suppressed a laugh. { _Want a hint?_ } He teased, prompting Red to flip him the bird. { _That IS part of it._ } Slim signed shakily, having trouble keeping his laughter in check with that priceless look of irritation and embarrassment etched onto Red's face.

{ _What the hell is all this fluff shit anyway?_ } Red finally signed.

{ _You mean the actual mattresses?_ } Slim shifted, pulling his feet down to brace on the floor, sitting upright on the bed. He pulled the cigarette from his teeth, letting smoke come out from behind them in a wide cloud that quickly dissipated. { _Lust let slip last night that some of us were sleeping in here. Our furry host insisted we borrow some spare things._ }

{ _Who the hell keeps TWO SPARE MATTRESSES?!_ } Red asked rhetorically.

Slim shrugged. It wasn't something he was used to either. After coming back inside from his phone call, he had almost declined the offer. He hardly thought he deserved such luxury. However, it had become painfully clear that Asgore would have none of his nonsense, and if Slim and Lust hadn't taken the mattresses in themselves, Gory would have done it for them, which might have disturbed Red, and prompted another fight which they could not afford. Needless to say, Asgore won that argument, and the skeletons had brought the mattresses with them via shortcut.

Lust shifted, making a soft noise, all the motion from Red's violent hand signing having shook him out of true sleep. Red went still, his eye light training back to the skeleton laying next to him, his expression a mixture of insecurities and horror. Lust shifted again, pressing himself harder into Red's side. "Five more minutes..." came the low mutter, before the fidgeting stopped, and Lust's breathing returned to the slow rhythm of sleep.

Slim snickered. Red shot him a dirty look. Slim's grin widened. { _You two are so cute together._ }

{ _WE ARE NOT TOGE-_ } Red's hands faltered in midair, his mind coming to a screeching halt. It all fell into place: the sex, which had become more frequent in such a short time frame, and was anything but unpleasant; the worry he had experienced; the not-worry-not-anger feeling that was never quite directed _at_ Lust so much as _around_ him; the warm tingly feeling that was decidedly NOT anger, which _was_ directed at Lust, and even more strangely seemed to emanate from him; the way Lust always seemed to be able to quell Red's animalistic fury, or at least repel it back to something manageable; the way Red had not noticed Lust move him, as though even his finely trained instincts had decided that the smaller skeleton was not a threat; the way Red didn't immediately flinch away from Lust's touches anymore, how he had to consciously think about pulling back from him; the way they spoke without words.

And Lust wasn't the least bit afraid of him. Red would have known (he could smell fear as easily as a burger). In fact, Lust seemed to go out of his way to get closer to Red, and a part of Red had decided (without his consent!) to not mind, which made no sense at all since Red made a point of keeping everyone, even his own brother, at arms length.

Slim watched as all the lights switched on in Red's head, the gears turning. He resisted the urge to film this historic moment and failed, his free hand pulling out his phone just in time to capture the exact moment Red came to the obvious conclusion. The skeleton's face turning redder than his crimson eye, which he didn't even bother keeping alight, letting the more natural white specks take over for the first time in he couldn't remember when. A high pitched squeaking noise, like the distant screams of a mouse, escaped into the air, Red's hand coming up to cover his face as he tried to hide from the world and everyone in it behind his fingers.

_How the fuck did this happen?!_

Slim saved the footage and hid his phone, falling backward as the hilarity of the situation bowled him over, howling with laughter.

"SHUT TH' FUCK UP!! IT AIN'T FUCKIN' FUNNY!!" Red snarled, sitting up a bit and shaking his fist at the smoking asshole.

Lust groaned softly. He untangled his fingers from the broader skeleton's ribs, throwing that arm over his chest and shoulder, and dragged Red back down to the mattress. "Not yet..." He murmured, snuggling. Red felt that warm feeling engulf him again, making it difficult to resist even though Lust was notably smaller and weaker than him.

Slim just laughed harder, making Red even more flustered. "GO FUCK YERSELF!!" Red snarled.

Slim sat up, wiping a tear from his eye. "I think yer projecting, there, lil guy..!" Slim had just enough warning to shortcut out of the shed as a swarm of jagged bones was sent flying at him.

Red flexed his claws, falling back completely, the echoes of the other monster's laughter still hanging in the drafty air. Red did not appreciate being made fun of, especially for something that already had him teetering on the edge of hysteria.

Lust made another soft noise, blinking his eyes open sleepily. He looked up at Red, confused at first since Red's eye lights were still simple white dots (and not the one big red glow he had come to expect). When he realized what he was actually seeing, it made his SOUL flutter, and he nuzzled in closer, thinking maybe he was still dreaming.

"Don't ya _dare_ go back t' sleep, Pixie Stick." Red hissed softly.

Lust stiffened. He looked up again, his maxilla flushing a bit. "Oh... Uh, good morning..." Lust tried to remember how he had gotten so close to Red. He could have sworn he had gone to sleep on the dog bed, right after spreading out Red's cloths to dry.

Red stared back at him, that warm tingly emotion sending an electric charge through his SOUL. What was the name of it? _Affection?_ That sounded about right, as much as he hated to admit it. He scowled, which looked more cute than intimidating without the crimson light-show that usually took place in his left eye socket.

Lust smiled warmly. Without thinking, he looped two fingers around Red's collar, pulling him into a skeletal kiss, their frontal bones pressed together, their nasal passages so close it was like sharing the same breath. He closed his eyes, savoring the intimacy, a soft purr rumbling in his chest.

Red let his own eyes droop, leaning into the contact. He was too fucking lazy to fight it anymore. There was no two ways about it. The little slut had stolen his affections. _Damn him._ He did it on purpose, too, he knew. Red wasn't oblivious. Lust had made it clear with each touch that he felt the same, that it was what he wanted. There was no reason to use words now. Actions spoke louder between them, and it was beyond too late to take it back. The only thing left to do now was to make the necessary arrangements. Given their circumstances, Red would have to get a bit creative. Perhaps use a little science to smooth the way.

Whatever. He'd look into it later. Red had something more pressing on his mind right now.

* * *

Slim appeared in the livingroom of the Dreemurr household, snickering. He hadn't expected it to play out so well.

Stretch looked up from the TV, which he, Justice, Rus, and Comic had been watching as they enjoyed a breakfast of tea and scones. "What's the punchline?"

"Nevermind." Slim said, regaining his composure. "Just something I _red_ , heh."

Stretch almost didn't catch it, but a sly grin flashed across his face before he turned back to the TV.

Dance spun a warm cup in his hands, thinking about something else as he huddled in his spot on the floor.

"Are the other two ready to leave yet?" Comic asked.

"Probably." Slim leaned against the wall, looking at the stubby cigarette he would have to throw out soon. "Maybe an hour? Unless something _comes up_..." He snickered again. Stretch didn't get this one.

"THEN WE SHOULD BEGIN CLEANING UP!!" Rus said, standing up from his spot on the couch, moving Comic from his lap and setting him gently back down in his former seat. He then began collecting the dishes and such, waiting patiently for Dance to chug the last of his tea before handing his mug over, and moved swiftly to the kitchen to wash them.

Comic settled back, keeping an eye on his brother until he was out of sight. He really was the best, being so thoughtful and considerate of their hosts.

Dance clutched at his hood, a war waging in his heart. He looked at the machine sitting next to him, the one that amplified radio waves. He looked at his pocket, where he could feel the weight of his cellphone. He closed his eyes, thinking of her.

Then he snapped his fingers, vanishing.

* * *

Toriel sighed at her post, where her brother had dropped her that morning. 'Having guests was no excuse for being lazy,' he had said. She leaned into her arms, her thoughts drifting. She felt like such a fraud. How could she be feeling this way for someone she just met? How could she so easily cast aside her feelings for _him_? Had she really felt anything at all? Was she even capable of genuine affection? What if everything she felt was a lie? What if she was one of those secretly psychopathic creatures?? What if it was all just some elaborate ruse, a trick of her own mind, and one day it would all fall away and leave her heartless and cold and she ended up hurting everyone and-

As Toriel spiraled deeper into her identity crisis, clutching at her head and squeezing her eyes shut, soft footsteps approached through the snow. She didn't even notice until a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder.

Toriel looked up with a start.

Dance looked down with worry. "Are you alright..?"

Toriel flushed that bright pink that she had been turning to so often lately, making a noise of affirmation. The color only got brighter as Dance smiled down at her encouragingly, his grip tightening ever so slightly.

Dance pulled away after he was sure the panic was gone from Toriel's eyes. he stuffed his hands in his pockets, averting his eye lights. "We're, uh, we're gonna be leaving soon..."

Toriel flinched, clutching one paw in the other, not looking at him directly. "I see..."

Dance kicked at the snow a little, not sure if he could get the words out. "But, uh, seeing as how the radio wave amp works... I was wondering if..." He took a deep breath. "I get that we just met and all, but, uh..."

"But..?" Toriel was confused now. And nervous. Oh, how she was nervous. She raised her eyes to lock onto Dance's teeth, the only part of his face she could clearly see. His smile was present, but there was a strain in it, an imperceptible tremble that she felt (or imagined) on the edges of her senses.

Dance steeled himself. "Do you want to... maybe... I dunno..." He clutched the cellphone in his pocket. "...Be, uh... pen pals or something..?"

Toriel didn't get it.

Dance put his back to her. "Yeah. I understand. Exchanging numbers with a weirdo from another universe is kinda crazy." He started to walk away. "Forget I said anything."

She got it. She got what he was asking. Toriel stood up sharply from her seat at the sentry station, so fast and with such force she almost knocked the whole structure over. "LETS DO IT!!" She squeaked.

Dance stopped, looking over his shoulder at her in disbelief. "R-really..?"

Toriel gulped. "R-really..."

They stared at each other, the gentle whistle of the winter wind the only sound between them. The wind shifted, blowing at Dance as if to push him towards the adorable monster in front of him. He forced his legs to move, to bring him closer to the sentry station. He scratched at his maxilla, averting his eyes. "So, uh..." He pulled out his phone. "How do we-?"

Toriel pulled out hers, using the stylus to pull up her contacts. Dance told her his number, mumbling almost too low for her to hear, hiding in his hood so she couldn't see his skull glowing. Toriel sent him a test text, which Dance got. Dance quickly added the number into his contacts, his smile widening.

They looked at each other, really looked at each other, red-orange liquid eyes reflecting back a gentle blue shimmer, as though inverting the view of a sunrise.

Their SOULs pulsed in unison, adding a steady rhythmic hum to the sound of the wind.

* * *

Lust came back into the house, a satisfied smile on his face. Hooking his thumbs in his pockets, he kicked the door shut. "Good morning, fellas!"

Slim snickered, seeing that look on Lust's face. He'd seen it before, if not on Lust, then on someone else.

"Ready to go?" Comic asked, standing up to stretch.

"If you are," Lust replied. "Red refuses to come back in here, so how about we go to the shed?"

Dance, who had returned before Lust had, picked up the basket of parts and the small machine that still glowed with tiny green lights. He sidestepped, going to the shed, ready to go again, now. The others followed in a steady stream, Comic bringing Rus and Justice along. Red was waiting for them, dressed, dry, and scowling like he had been recently burdened with a new, obnoxious responsibility.

Comic led the count.

* * *

Back in Comic's livingroom, everyone seemed to let out a held breath. Comic saw that Frisk was asleep on the couch, curled up around a pillow. The machine was just as they had left it. Comic smiled. The human had not RESET in their absence.

Justice stepped away from the group, pulling out her cellphone and texting Alphys. A soft beep marked the arrival of a reply, which brought a glint to the fish monster's eye. Slim and Lust, being the closest two, saw the look on her face, and stepped back from her warily. Red was a bit further away, but he made sure to step back too, just in case. Stretch raised an eyebrow. Dance didn't care. Comic was distracted by his sleeping human. Rus had caught the glint, but he didn't see any reason to distrust his friend.

Justice spun around, her arms scooping up Stretch and Dance faster than the two knew how to react (their reflexes not kicking in due to Justice's complete lack of ill intent). With a grin, the fish monster slung Stretch over one shoulder like an oversized potato sack, holding Dance under her other arm, and ran out the front door, cackling manically.

Red fell back on his ass, laughing so hard his bones rattled, hugging himself to try and stifle the noise. The look on Stretch's face as he had been carted away had been too much. Slim was taken likewise, covering his teeth and holding his middle. Lust shook his head at the two who always got the most amusement from someone else's inconvenience, even as a smile spread across his face at seeing Red's.

Comic groaned. Rus looked after them from the front door. "WHERE IS SHE TAKING THEM, I WONDER???"

"Knowing her, Alphys..." Comic said with a sigh.

Frisk sat up, rubbing their eyes. "You're back..!" They threw themselves into Comic, crying and shaking. "I was starting to think-!"

"Hey, easy there kiddo!" Comic soothed, rubbing their back. "Didn't mean to take so long. We got held up, is all." Frisk took a deep breath, calming down now that Comic was there.

"Should we go after them?" Lust asked, thinking about Stretch and Dance.

"Probably," Slim said, pulling himself back together.

"Leave 'm." Red said, snatching the basket of parts Dance had left behind. "It'll distract th' sushi roll long enough fer us t' get some work done."

"You aren't worried?" Lust asked, hovering a little.

"Maybe if this place weren't so soft, I would be," Red replied, fishing for the pieces they needed for the next section of the machine. "Besides. Dance can take care of himself."

"Is that respect I hear?" Slim teased, pulling the tools out from the drawer Rus had packed them away in.

"Shut up an' gimme th' damn pliers," Red snorted.

Comic sat down with his human, feeling spent now that he was home.

Rus went about fixing the door.

* * *

Alphys jumped at the sound of the front doors being kicked in.

"WE'RE HERE!!!" Justice yelled, excitement palpable. She skidded to a halt, panting. She had run all the way here.

"Y-you didn't have to r-r-rush..." Alphys stuttered, setting up the last (4th) spare lawn chair, the only other furniture she really had. She was glad she had found them, even if she rarely had guests. After making sure it was set up properly, she crawled into her desk chair, curling up so her clawed feet braced on the seat, pulling a notepad and pen from the desk. "B-b-but thank you for c-coming."

"Our pleasure! Ain't that right, guys?" Justice assured the lizard monster, setting the two skeletons she had hauled here down in the chairs.

Stretch's eye lights were dark, his head wobbling on his neck as though he was dizzy. He sank back into the chair, his head falling backward as his tall body arced over the back of the small furniture, gripping the arms for dear life as he finally had something on which he could find purchase that WAS NOT MOVING. He felt nauseous, his nonexistent stomach churning from the rush and from being jostled unevenly.

Dance was not in much better condition, slumping into his assigned seat, his face glowing a sickly green as he silently reminded his body that he technically could not vomit for the nth time.

Alphys looked at them with a mixture of pity and excitement. "A-are these..?"

Justice grinned, sitting down on a chair of her own, pulling up one ankle to rest on her knee. "Yup! They are totally from another dimension!"

"Facinating!!" Alphys made some quick notes. "Are they from the same universe?"

"I don't think so," The fish monster looked at them for a moment. "I think Sans said there were six of them total, all from different-"

"SIX?!" Alphys's eyes lit up. "How many of them have you been to??"

"Only two. Neither of which were theirs."

"So the one with the cute short Asgore, and another one?" Alphys flipped a page in her notebook. "What was the other universe like?"

Justice pursed her lips, growing more solemn, more thoughtful. "...Different..."

Alphys's face fell. "I-i-if you don't want to t-t-talk about it, I understand..."

Justice shook her head. "No, it's alright. Go ahead and ask whatever you like."

Alphys hesitated. "W-what was A-asgore like..?"

Justice's face darkened. "Nothing like ours." She said quickly, coldly. Her fists clenched, a spear appearing in one trembling hand, which she smashed into the floor at her feet. "Nothing like him at all."

Alphys flinched, noting down the answer and the reaction. She quickly shifted gears. "D-did you m-m-meet yourself?"

Justice calmed down, letting go of the spear, turning a little pink. "Uh-huh..."

"W-w-what was s-she like?"

"Straight as a stars damned arrow."

Alphys wasn't sure how to interpret that, but she noted it down regardless. "A-anything else?"

Justice thought about it. "Well, she was covered in a bunch of scars and stuff. There were holes in her webbing, like here," she pointed, "and here, and here. It was actually really cool. Now that I think about it, most of the monsters I saw over there had a ton of scars. I suppose that's just to be expected though, considering..." She trailed off. "Uh, other than that, she seemed like me."

"D-Did you meet m-m-me?"

Justice paused, her expression darkening, but with a mixture of sadness to temper the anger. "Yeah..." she shifted. "That wasn't... uh... wasn't anything like you either..."

Alphys scribbled quickly so she could move on. "...Did you m-m-meet Papyrus t-there?"

Justice nodded. "He was... intense..." She realized she hadn't really given Alphys much, so she tried to elaborate. "He had... anger management issues??? Like, bad ones??? First impression would make you think he was nothing like Papyrus at all, just a violent, unreasonable, heartless- well, you get the point. But it turns out, he's actually kinda... thoughtful? And responsible. He was Captain of the Royal Guard, and he did a hell of a good job too, from what I saw... He fought like something out of an anime, throwing magic around like you wouldn't believe. And boy could he cook!"

Alphys noted this all down. "And what about his brother? Sans?"

Justice screwed up her face. "He's a jerk, not the friendly type. And he hits like a truck-"

"HE ATTACKED YOU?!" Alphys sputtered.

Justice sighed. "Well, we kinda pulled each other into a FIGHT and, uh... he won."

"Wow... thats... not s-s-something I'd expect out of S-Sans..."

"Me neither..." The fish monster's voice lingered in something thoughtful before she continued as normal. "He's got anger management issues too... but I think deep down, those two care for each other. In this weird, violent, unhealthy way that they need to fix before I fix it for them."

Alphys noted it, but she wondered what memory had prompted the last comment. It didn't seem to her like Justice wanted to elaborate, so she continued with her questions. "What w-was your i-impression of the u-u-universe? Like, compared to o-ours?"

Justice bit her lip. "Violent." She finally decided on. "It was violent. And hard. And... not so friendly... It was a place with a lot of... difficult choices. With no real right answer to any of them."

"Thats a nice way of saying everyone was an asshole and there was so much dust in the air it was suffocating..." Dance muttered, sitting up straighter. He didn't look quite so green anymore.

Alphys jumped at his voice, having almost forgotten the skeletons were present as she had listened to Justice.

Stretch pulled himself forward, taking a deep breath. "If you had wanted an interview... you could have just asked..."

"I figured you guys wouldn't be interested. Its easier to ask forgiveness than, uh..." Justice forgot the rest of the saying.

Dance waved one hand at her, dismissively. He was used to her impetuousness, he had just never been subjected to it personally before. He and his universe's Undyne didn't have much contact outside of their Papyrus.

Alphys flipped the page of her notepad. "A-a-are you two willing to t-t-talk..?"

Stretch settled back into a more relaxed position, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. He looked at her, his lazy smile back. "Sure, buddy, no _skin off my bones_ , heh."

Alphys blinked. "D-d-did you just-?"

Stretch chuckled. "What? Are my jokes not _humerus_?"

Alphys scribbled notes without looking away from the skeleton in front of her. "I'm just not u-u-used to j-jokes coming from, uh..."

"I know, right? Hearing a joke in Paps's voice is so WEIRD!" Justice complained. "And he makes them ALL THE TIME! _They ALL DO!_ Do you have ANY idea how insane it is when SIX MONSTERS go on a pun-spree?!"

"I guess fish just don't have _funny bones_ ," Dance observed, finding amusement in Justice's annoyance. Serves her right for manhandling him.

"SEE WHAT I MEAN?!" Justice threw her arms out at Dance to point at him.

Alphys wrote more notes. "Its a-a-almost as if t-they all had S-Sans's personality... to a d-d-degree..." She flipped the page of her notebook again. "I-if you're alright with it, I-I'll start the q-q-questions n-now..."

"Shoot," Stretch smiled. It was kind of nice to see a timid, not so forceful Alphys for once. Fit much better with his chill, lazy nature.

"O-okay," Alphys took a deep breath. "W-w-what is Asgore like?"

That threw Stretch off, although he knew it shouldn't have. He had been listening somewhat to the previous conversation. "Uh... Not certain how to answer that... I mean, I think I might have met him, but we never exchanged names... The only reason I think I know his name now is because of what I've learned since leaving..."

"Y-you didn't k-k-know your king's name?" Alphys prompted. It wasn't a question spoken out of naivety, she knew there was a possibility that Asgore was not the king in Stretch's universe, but it opened up a possible train of thought that would give her more insight.

"What? Oh, no, we don't have a King. The King, uh, abdicated... A long time ago. Queen Toriel has been ruling alone for years."

Alphys noted that down. 'Toriel'. That name had popped up again. It nagged at her, but she couldn't allow herself to dwell on it now. "N-n-next... Is there an U-Undyne in your u-universe??"

Stretch nodded. "We used to work together at the lab. She's pretty smart, although a bit _flaky_ , heh heh. We haven't talked in years, though."

"Worked at t-t-the lab?" Alphys repeated.

"Yeah..." Stretch tapped his foot twice. "Like here, but, uh, not. Knowing her, it probably looks about the same, except the furniture is higher. Like I said, we haven't spoken much since she became the Royal Scientist."

Justice started laughing. "ME? A SCIENTIST?! That's crazy!"

"I think it's a matter of perspective." Stretch said reasonably.

Alphys was starting to get a feel for Stretch's universe. "A-and w-what about m-me? Am I- is there an A-Alphys?" Stretch nodded. "W-w-what's she l-like?"

Stretch clicked his teeth thoughtfully. "Loud. Expressive. Rash. We don't interact much, never have, but... Well, one time my bro was late coming home from training, so I went to pick him up. Turns out he and Alphys set her house on fire during one of their cooking lessons, and they were trying to put it out. The house was ruined, so I offered to let her stay at our place until it could be fixed..." He smiled. "She picked both me and my brother up and ran all over the underground looking for our house. It took two hours to get her to put us down." He shrugged. "Sans was amused, so I couldn't really complain, not that I was in any condition to at the time..."

Justice went pale. It was like hearing about her own life, with names swapped around. She remembered that day, how excited she had been, despite herself. It had been the first time she visited the skeletons at their home, once she had calmed down enough to follow their directions.

Alphys remembered that day too (she had seen the whole thing from her monitors). She scribbled excitedly. "Does that mean s-s-she was a part of the R-Royal Guard?"

"The Captain, actually."

Alphys looked at Justice, scribbling, then turned back to Stretch. "O-o-okay, next, w-what about Papy-" She stopped. "Oh, um.... I g-guess YOU'RE P-papyrus, aren't you..?"

Stretch chuckled. " _Papyrus_ never anyone else."

Alphys smiled nervously. "T-then what about y-y-your brother, Sans?"

Stretch smiled. "He's the coolest." This was a topic Stretch could go on all day about, and he didn't care who it was that listened. "He's bright, and cheerful, and expressive. You should see him, he can make his eye lights change any shape he wants. Oh, here..." He pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open to pull up a picture of Blueberry. "He loves stars, so this is his usual default when he's happy, but I've seen him make lots of different shapes." He held it up for them to see. "Isn't he just adorable?!"

Alphys and Justice stared. The picture showed a 'Sans', looking at him from the side (and a little in front). He was wearing what looked like Rus's battle body, only the color scheme was white and sky-blue. His legs were spread just wide enough that he could brace himself on his hands, holding onto the edge of the couch he was sitting on as he leaned forward, his complete attention on what was in front of him (presumably the TV, considering the way the light was being thrown). He had a mega-watt grin plastered on his face, his bright cyan eye lights blown out into huge five-pointed stars that glittered with white sparkles.

Justice instantly was drawn to the adorable little monster.

Stretch grinned wider at their expressions. "Told you he was the coolest."

Alphys pulled herself out of her daze, scribbling like mad. "D-do you have any other p-p-pictures on your p-phone that you would be w-willing to s-share??"

Stretch handed it over. "Browse all you like, just don't delete anything, okay?"

Alphys and Justice huddled over the phone swiping through the images: Blue in the kitchen, his eye lights shaped like asterisk as he focused on scrubbing out a particularly stubborn stain on the floor; Blue in the snow, his eye lights looking like great big blue lightning bolts, frozen mid dash, snow kicked up behind him; Blue sleeping in his baby-blue racecar bed, cuddling a stuffed animal; Blue with his hands on his hips, feet planted firmly at shoulder width, leaning forward slightly, his eye lights in the shape of crossed bones, looking terribly angry and yet still so cute; Blue enjoying a NiceCream cone, eyes closed as he licked it with a summoned cyan tongue; Blue laying flat on his back in the snow, his eye lights nothing but a swirl, looking terribly dizzy and disoriented, a large scorch mark on the top of his skull, near where a small orb had fallen into the snow.

Alphys recognized that orb. It was identical to the one she had made for Rus, to use in his electricity maze.

Stretch watched their reactions to his photo album with amusement. He loved showing off his pictures of Blue. He signed to Dance, { _This is way more fun than I expected._ }

{ _You just like bragging about your bro_ } Dance signed back, grinning.

{ _You'll do the exact same thing_ } Stretch teased back.

{ _Don't be ridiculous. As if still images could do my brother justice!_ } Dance pulled out his phone, smirking. { _I have video!_ }

That sparked a laugh from Stretch, making the other two look up from their browsing. { _You would! Can I see?_ }

Alphys almost dropped the phone. She recognized those hand signs (although she couldn't for the life of her remember where).

Dance nudged his head to the other two, making Stretch turn back around. "Done already?"

"Y-y-yes..." Alphys handed back the phone, snatching at the note pad and scribbling like crazy. She forced herself to calm down. She still had four more universes to ask about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Yes the chain-smoking beanpole is the one who stuck Lust in bed with Red.
> 
> ~ Look at Slim playing matchmaker because he thinks its so goddamn funny (and it serves as a distraction from his self loathing) -- Well, he IS still a Papyrus, so a little meddling is to be expected. Wow does he like picking on Red, not that THAT is anything new lol.
> 
> ~ THE S.S. RUST HAS SET SAIL! I REPEAT! THE S.S. RUST HAS SET SAIL! *confetti*  
> ~ I wonder what "necessary arrangements" Red has in mind? I have an idea, but I wonder if Lust will say yes...
> 
> ~ Slim making more jokes on his own (as opposed to bouncing off of others) because he has more sadness to bury under them. He feels so bad about Razz. Poor sweet (murderous) baby...
> 
> ~ DANCE YOU SLY FOX YOU! Look at you, getting a girl's number! So sets sail the A.U.S.S. Soriel!
> 
> ~ WOOH! Two AU-crossing ships in one chapter!
> 
> ~ You guys coulda warned them about Undyne.
> 
> ~ I don't think Dance or Stretch would do well on a rollercoaster
> 
> ~ Dance is more like Red than either of them care to admit (grudge holding buddies forever lol).
> 
> ~ Stretch collects pictures of Blue with different eye light shapes.


	33. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alphys (with Justice's help) gets some interrogation done, and we learn a little bit more about everyone. Also Red gets lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some time off of writing to do some reading. That is why this is so late.
> 
> If you haven't already, check out [Chill or Be Chilled](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5387672/chapters/12443822) by TotalSkeletonTrash. I got through it in two days, but I read kinda fast apparently?
> 
> Anyway, READ THIS IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN MY SHITTY GARBAGE!!
> 
> With that, here is the latest chapter. Sorry it again has very little action.

Alphys shifted in her seat. The lazy-looking Papyrus (she should really have brought up the subject of code names) smiled back at her amiably. She felt somewhat at ease when speaking to him, it felt so much like addressing Sans. Then she looked over at the other skeleton, the one in the blue hoodie and sneakers. There was an aura that came from him that, while it reminded her of Sans as well, made her less comfortable striking up a conversation. He came off as less approachable, less... friendly. Not in a threatening way, mind, but it was more than enough to ward away someone as skittish and shy as Alphys.

Stretch noticed her distress. He looked at Dance. "Hey, throw her a _bone_ , pal."

Dance made a face, looking for all the world like he would be chewing his lower lip (had he had one). He squared his shoulders, looking at his feet. "Not necessary."

Alphys deflated. She had been exceptionally excited to hear more about other universes. It hadn't occurred to her until after Justice had arrived with her guests that perhaps they wouldn't want to indulge her curiosity.

Stretch raised an eyebrow ridge. "We're still missing pieces, right?"

Alphys immediately opened her mouth to press that train of thought, but shut it, not wanting to interrupt.

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"Where are we, Dance?"

Alphys scribbled the nickname down quietly in the corner of the page in her notebook. With a mixture of relief and disappointment, she realized that they had already taken steps to alleviate confusion in that regard.

Dance almost snapped back at Stretch that he already knew where they were, when he got the point, completely switching gears. He eyed Alphys thoughtfully. "You want info? Lets trade."

"T-trade? I-I would be h-h-happy to answer any of your q-"

"No." Dance cut Alphys off. "I'm not interested in answers, at least not ones you can give me." The 'you' was almost emphasized, but it was subtle, easily missed. "I want parts. Machine parts."

"Didn't Comic say he was going to come ask for some?" Stretch thought out loud, remembering something.

"I talked him out of it early on. Didn't want to involve anyone unnecessary..." Dance gave Alphys and Justice a sidelong glance. "A bit late for that now, though.

"Get over yourself, nerd!" Justice retorted, crossing her arms.

Dance looked back at Alhpys. The stark contrast between her and the 'Alphys' from Red's universe was obvious. He still did not trust her completely, however. With this in mind, he took a pen and a scrap of paper off the desk (via BLUE magic) and wrote down a list of items, then floated it to Alphys. "Get me at least half the items on this list, and I'll consider it a fair trade."

Alphys read through the list, biting her lip. She slid off her chair, leaving the notepad and pen on the seat as she ambled to the elevator. She was mumbling to herself, even as the door closed behind her.

* * *

Frisk sat close to Comic, watching with, perhaps not interest, but attention, as Red and Slim finished the work they could on The Machine. They had to focus on something other than the tingling warmed that was being elicited from them by the presence of the skeleton at their side. Comic, just lazy enough that he didn't feel bad about sitting there doing nothing, seeing as how there was so little to be done with the materials at hand, slung a protective arm around Frisk's shoulders that could have been mistaken as brotherly. Frisk of course didn't feel it as such.

Rus finished fixing the door, then picked his way around the mess of nuts, bolts, wires, and shredded rubber to get to the kitchen and cook. Lust say beside the TV stand, holding the blueprints up and making the occasional observation on the design. He was also the one passing out the tools between Red and Slim as needed.

Red had ended up on wire duty again as he and Slim installed the newest component. He had shocked himself at least five times in the span of an hour. This, of course, was less a result of his own carelessness, and more due to the fact that Slim kept flipping the power switch on the machine when he knew Red was working on the insulation. Red would snarl, summon a tongue to sooth the new burn on his digits, and give Slim the dirtiest look he could without the use of bloodlust. Lust, meanwhile, would watch Red literally lick his wounds, and would metaphorically melt into the floor, daydreaming about what else that tongue could do as he hid the faint glow around his hips behind the blueprints clutched in his hands. Slim watched Lust's expressions, getting a sadistic joy out of being able to tease one monster while torturing another. He hadn't realized until recently that he even liked being on this side of it. Go figure.

Soon enough, despite the copious distractions, the work was done, and Red closed the panel with a huff. He sat back, looking at his fingers which, although no longer hurt, still bore the faint yellow and black burn marks. He licked the one on the flat of his thumb, irritated. Slim snickered (not at Red, but at Lust's face when he saw Red make this motion), which caught Red's attention. He looked over his shoulder, leaning his elbow on his one knee that was up, that leg bracing his position, and glared at him. "Laugh it up, chuckles," he growled with so much exasperation that Slim just laughed harder.

Comic yawned, as if he had actually been doing work instead of lazing about. "All done?"

"Yeah," Red muttered. "No thanks t' you."

"What can I say, I was _bone_ tired."

"If ya like t' sleep so much, I can put ya t' sleep permanently," Red muttered.

Comic grinned. "Aren't we crankier than usual? What, _wake up on the wrong side of the bed?_ " Comic had simply been making a sleep pun, but the events of that morning flashed through Red's mind, making him flush scarlet. Slim howled, throwing himself back into the wall, hugging his middle as though he were afraid he would shake apart. Lust averted his eyes, his maxilla glowing the faintest pale purple, covering his teeth to try and suppress his own laughter at the joke (and the innuendo) since Red looked so uncomfortable. Comic himself, while he found his joke amusing, could see he was missing something. Red could tell Comic had no idea what was going on, which is the only reason he wasn't strangling the monster.

Frisk giggled quietly, folding their hands in their lap.

Slim wiped tears from the ridges of his sockets, sliding down to sit on the floor. He went to pull out a cigarette, but changed his mind. After a laugh like that, after a MORNING like that, he really didn't need one. Better to save them for later. Instead, he pulled out his phone to check for messages. His smile faltered. His brother had not returned his text from that morning. Admittedly, that could be for a number of reasons: he could be busy; he could have decided it wasn't worth replying to; he could have accidentally broken the phone (again); he could have broken the phone on purpose to relieve stress (again); there could be a delay with the transfer between dimensions. It didn't necessarily mean anything was wrong.

Slim pulled out that cigarette and lit it.

Lust stood up, folding the blueprints neatly and setting them aside before picking up the remote with a shaking hand. "How about we watch TV until the others return?"

"Sounds good to me." Comic leaned back again, lazily running the distal phalanx of his index finger along the back of Frisk's arm, the motion hidden from view thanks to the fullness of their sweater.

"NOTHING GOES BETTER WITH TELEVISION THAN SPAGHETTI!!" Rus declared from the doorway, passing Red and Slim heaping plates (he remembered how quickly they had cleaned them the last time). They both shared a look, but didn't complain. Even Red couldn't bring himself to tell Rus what he thought of his cooking. Rus let out a few 'NYEH HEH HEH's of satisfaction before going back to fetch more platefuls of his indescribable noodle based concoction.

Lust smiled fondly after him, then settled on the couch beside Comic, turning on the TV. His eyes, of course, kept drifting back to Red, who had already begun stuffing the pasta into his mouth. Stars, even like that he was gorgeous, with tomato sauce on his mandible and teeth, his tongue prodding to make sure there were no stray noodle bits stuck anywhere, that one gold canine shining in the light, his eye light dimmed down to the dull muddy red-brown that meant Red was suppressing something so hard it was making his head hurt... A part of Lust ached to go over there, to hold him, to kiss and lick away the offending sauce and ache and discomfort. But Lust held himself back. If he got too close, right now, Lust feared he wouldn't be able to control himself.

The downside of being in love, it seemed, was that it irritated his condition. Lust was beginning to notice the heat inside him burned hotter than it should. He had just had it, not only yesterday, but this morning, and not just any kind, but the _best_ kind, the kind that should have had him lucid for weeks afterward; but no, he was already brimming with it, pulsing with it, oozing with the want and the desire and the need, and oh stars was it hard to see that tongue on anything that wasn't _him_ , how his fingers itched to snatch at those battle worn bones and jump them over the mountain and back again and again and again and _fuck_ was it hot in here. Lust was starting to sweat now. No, that wasn't right, he had been sweating for half an hour, he was just feeling the damp and stickiness now, especially under his leather pants. It was hard to keep himself from manifesting, his magic was screaming to be let out somehow. He felt like he must be steaming with it. How was he expected to keep all this energy inside him when Red was _right fucking there_ and-

"AND HERE IS YOUR PLATE, AFFECTIONATE BROTHER!" Rus said clearly, with much emphasis and enthusiasm, as he took Lust's hand and wrapped it around the edge of the plate. Judging from the tone in his voice, he must have said it a few times without getting a response.

Lust shoved everything down, plastering on that seductive smile. "Thank you, handsome," he purred with a wink, looking up into Rus's eye sockets. Bringing his other hand up to brace the plate, his index finger curled up to slide along Rus's bones in a way that was certainly not platonic.

Rus bristled, his smile shifting from genuine to nervous as he pulled away a little too quickly. "NYEH HEH..! YOU ARE MOST WELCOME, AFFECTIONATE BROTHER." He was certain that Lust would never do anything to really hurt him, but Rus still felt like there were some things that were inappropriate to do, even between friends. He worried that perhaps Lust had trouble telling those things apart, and considered having a talk with him about it, but then he noticed the strain on Lust's face, the sweat, the slight tremble, and came to the conclusion that perhaps Lust was acting this way due to not feeling well. Rus went back to the kitchen to try and make him something soothing to drink.

Comic gave Lust a look, torn between concern and annoyance. He settled on concern, since Rus wasn't hurt. "You alright, bud?"

Lust smirked at him, balancing the plate on one hand as he brought the other up to trace his own jaw line. "Of course I am. Wanna see for yourself?"

Comic rolled his eyes. He wasn't entirely mollified, but he wasn't going to press the matter with Rus nearby. Red leered at Lust, clicking his teeth thoughtfully. Slim eyed him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Lust ignored their eyes and picked up the fork on his plate. His body shuddered from the smell, remembering the taste he could expect from Rus's cooking. The plate was quickly engulfed in BLUE, however, and ripped out of his grasp. Red caught hold of it, scarfing it down without a word.

Rus returned with a cup of warm tea, handing it to Lust, who downed it like a shot. It was a little too hot, burning the tongue that he had summoned to give his roiling magic an outlet, but he didn't care. Anything that distracted his body from it's craving was welcome. Rus seemed pleased that his offering had been taken with such enthusiasm, and, taking the empty cup back, turned to get another refill. Rus did not make it passed the Machine before his phone went off.

Rus fumbled, but got the phone open and to the side of his head before the second ring. "HELLO UNDYYNE!!" He said cheerfully, recognizing the ringtone. He paused to listen, then pulled the receiver away. "UNDYNE SAYS THAT WE ARE ALL INVITED TO DR ALPHYS'S LAB FOR LUNCH!!" There was an almost unnoticeable pause, then "I DID NOT KNOW ALPHYS HAD A DOG!"

Comic chuckled. "No, Paps, 'Lab' is short for 'Laboratory'. It means 'a place to do science'."

Rus smiled back, a knowing glint in his eye that Comic did not catch, but Lust and Slim did.

"C-can we go?" Frisk asked quietly. "I still need to meet Alphys..."

Lust stretched. "We still have to rescue those two, anyway. We can't go hunting without them, you know..."

" _You_ ain't going nowhere near th' skank," Red growled.

Slim raised an eyebrow. Lust looked at Red like he had grown a second head.

Comic looked down at the human, who looked up at him with a mixture of DETERMINATION and pleading (complete with pouty lip) that he could not bring himself to refuse. "S-sure, kid. If thats what you want... Just, remember our agreement?" The human smiled, nodding. The two stood up from their spot on the couch, Frisk keeping a firm grip on Comic's hand.

Rus put the cup down on the TV stand. "WE ARE ON OUR WAY, UNDYNE!!!" He shouted excitedly into the phone before hanging up and quickly taking hold of Comic's arm. He did not want to be left behind. Comic flinched a bit, but smiled up at his brother, and snapped his fingers. Comic, Rus, and Frisk disappeared.

"Oh, for fucks sake..!" Red muttered.

Slim smirked. He liked the idea of going to visit this Alphys. Especially at the lab, where it was possible to gather information, and maybe liberate her of a few spare parts. "See ya there." He sidestepped, disappearing.

Lust stood up, bending backwards a bit to crack his spine. "You coming?" Red growled at him. Lust purred, then shook his head. He had to maintain some form of self control. Even if they were now alone... Lust snapped his fingers before he let himself change his mind. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. He could handle a little more.

Red dug his claws into the carpet, making five long gashes deep enough to reveal the wood below. Not only did he think bringing another person into their already expanded in-group was a bad idea, he did not like the idea of Lust going anywhere near a creature named 'Alphys'. Like hell he was going to leave the monsters alone together. He snapped his fingers, heading to the lab.

* * *

Alphys came back up, clutching a cardboard box filled with machine parts to her chest. Dance's eyes sparkled at the sight, hope rippling through his SOUL. It looked like it was all there.

Justice jumped from her seat, scooping Alphys (and by extension the box) up and carting her back to her seat, depositing her on her office chair and confiscating the box with a grin. Alphys flushed a gentle pink, averting her eyes as she fixed her glasses.

Dance eyed Justice.

Justice smiled. "You don't get these until you tell my girl everything she wants to know!"

"U-u-Undyne..!" Alphys stammered. "T-that isn't n-n-necessary!"

"Is so! Besides, how else are we gonna get the others to talk? They are all as creepy secretive as Sans. We gotta use some leverage!"

Dance twitched, crossing his arms. "I can only speak for me. Can't guarantee the others will talk. Not that I think you want them to."

Justice raised an eyebrow. Alphys felt her curious scientist's heart flutter at the cryptic warning.

"Don't care. Calling them anyway. Start the questions, Alphy." Justice got up, carrying the box out the door with her so she didn't interrupt Alphys's questioning with her phone call.

Alphys picked her notepad and pen up again, coughing into her fist to clear her throat. "I-if you are s-still willing..."

Dance leaned back with a sigh. He had seen the box of parts. He could tell the lizard had kept her end of the bargain. "Go ahead."

Alphys lit up with delight. "O-okay! Did you know an A-Asgore in your universe?"

Dance tapped his foot a few times. "Yeah I met him."

"W-what was he l-like?"

"Depends on who you ask." When Alphys just looked at him, Dance sighed. "I never really interacted with the guy... I heard good things: Undyne liked him, Alphys - uh, the one in my world - she liked him... He was a good enough King, keeping everyone's spirits up, especially around the holidays... But I guess my personal opinion on him soured..."

"W-why..?"

Dance flushed blue, pulling his hood up. "None of your business..."

Alphys marked it down. "H-how about me? Alphys I mean... Since you mentioned her already..."

Dance leaned back. "She's alright I guess. Shy, quiet, like you I guess."

"A-and Undyne..?"

Dance grimaced. "About the same as Justice... only more graceful."

"J-justice..?" Alphys asked.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MORE GRACEFUL?!" Justice snarled at the same time, coming back into the room in time to hear it.

"I mean, more graceful. Lets see you do Capoeira for 4 hours."

"What the heck is Capoeira?!"

Dance raised an eyebrow ridge. "Seriously?" He dug out his phone, pushing a few buttons. "Here." He handed it over. As soon as Alphys realized it was a video, and not a still image, she quickly turned around and hooked the phone up to her large monitor, allowing all four monsters (and the additional ones who began to trickle in) to watch.

The video was of Dance's brother (Suave), and an 'Undyne' in a tight black workout bra and baggy beige pants that cut off clean at her ankles, leaving her bare feet visible. The two monsters started facing each other in front of what looked like Justice's house (probably belonging to the 'Undyne' in the video). Slowly, a percussion heavy song filled the air, which exploded with a twang of a melody that was the very essence of Undyne.

At the first crescendo, the two monsters began to move, approaching each other by doing armless cartwheels, their long limbs arching through the air in time with the music, each one landing gracefully on their feet in tandem as they got closer. At the third crescendo, they both did a 180° front-flip, landing on their hands, arcing their bodies backwards at an acute angle to once more face each other. As they poised themselves, spears and bones erupted through the air, mirroring each other as they crashed into the ground all around the monsters. Had either one of them been in any other position, in any other location, they would have been skewered. However, both skeleton and fish were in the exact right place, and remained unharmed, smiling as their SOULs beat as one.

The next crescendo, the monsters completed the arch of their bodies, pulling themselves to their feet. Then they did a backflip, switching sides and landing once more to face one another. Another crescendo, and their legs came up in strong upward strikes, stopping just short of contact with each other. The next, they swung those same legs back, spinning on the balls of their feet. Then they switched spin directions, doing a jump roundhouse that once more stopped short of actual contact.

Such similar motions continued, until the first real verse of the song came, and then the real show started. Suddenly, both monsters began a vicious exchange of sidekicks, roundhouse kicks, ax kicks, and the occasional punch, all of which were evaded seemingly effortlessly by the other. Each evasion translated smoothly into the next attack. Each attach translated seamlessly into the next evasion. Even when it looked like Suave had fallen backward, he braced himself on his shoulder, doing a roll and spin into a handstand which turned into a jump clean over Undyne's sweeping kick, landing behind her to make a backward downward strike. Undyne spin and rolled out of the way, her scarlet ponytail whipping along behind her.

The two monsters twisted and spun towards each other, coming to a deadlock with their hands intwined between them, as if trying to push the other back. As the next part of the song began, they kicked off the ground, doing midair side spins while their hands remained locked, twisting in the air like they were both trapped inside some invisible tube, and landing elegantly on their feet just to do it again. And again. Then they broke the contact, doing backflips and then front flips to reengage with their legs, kicking and sweeping and spinning around each over in a dance of violence and passion. Great arcs of sweat were thrown into the air, casting small rainbows across the figures on the screen.

And the entire time, as they moved, their magic soared through the air, as if it were some great game of chicken, where the first to flinch, to lose focus, to miss a step, would die.

Alphys felt her nose bleed, wiping it with the sleeve of her lab coat, unable to take her eyes off the Undyne moving on the screen. Justice went slack jawed, unsure how to feel. Dance leaned back in his chair, feeling smug and proud of his baby brother, who was going toe to toe with the Captain of the Royal Guard, and at her own game at that. Stretch watched with interest, but found that just watching made him tired. He couldn't imagine being able to move like that, even as he saw a near perfect replica of himself making those motions as easily as breathing.

The viewers didn't notice when Comic, Rus, Frisk, and eventually Slim and Lust, arrived a few minutes in. Comic watched quietly, noticing Dance's expression and not wanting to ruin the mood. Frisk was enchanted, clasping their hands together and swaying to the beat. Rus gapped, excited to see what looked like a match between two great forces. Slim took a drag, watching the fight with interest, not having had an opportunity to evaluate the fighting style prominent in Dance's universe properly. Lust licked his teeth, remembering when he got to tango with Suave.

After about 3 or 4 minutes, the music began to change, taking on a more latin-american style until the melody changed altogether. As Undyne took a swing at Suave, he caught her wrist, spinning her around so that her back slammed into his chest, snatching her other arm and wrapping it around her middle so that he was holding her to him. He looked up at her, his chin resting on her bare shoulder, wiggling his eyebrow ridges suggestively, his 'NYEH HEH HEH's drifting out over the sound of the music. Undyne snickered, thrown off by his takeover of the rhythm. Suave spun her out, then back in, but this time so they were facing each other, lacing his fingers carefully in her webbed ones as he dipped her to avoid the magic that still swirled in a terrifying maelstrom around them.

Alphys had another nosebleed. Justice's blue scales turned red. Dance snickered. Rus blushed, not used to seeing that kind of display from anyone but Mettaton. Slim smiled in approval.

Suave pulled Undyne back up, the music fading. Undyne pulled away, punching the skeleton lightly on the shoulder. "That's enough outa you, nerd!" She said with a laugh. Her voice was distant, but still audible. The audio quality was amazing.

Suave grinned. "THAT WAS GREAT FUN!!"

Undyne slung her arm around his neck, giving him a nuggie. "Hell yeah it was! Damn, Papyrus! You got some smooth moves!!"

"ENOUGH TO JOIN??" He asked eagerly.

Undyne's smile faltered slightly, but quickly returned. "Not yet. Ya gotta have more stamina than that!" She said, patting his back as she eased up on him. "Same time tomorrow?"

"ABSOL-" The video ended mid-sentence.

There was silence.

"That," Dance said finally, the smugness and pride dripping from his voice, "Was capoeira."

"THAT WAS AWSOME!" Justice barked, looking at Dance. "Do you guys all fight like that?! In your Universe?!"

Dance shrugged. "Sorta. I mean, we don't ALL do capoeira, thats mostly Undyne's thing. But yeah, back home, we use frequency and motion to control our magic."

"D-dancing! You use your magic by d-dancing!" Alphys scribbled frantically. "Y-you implied that everyone has a d-d-different style? Who h-has w-what style? Anyone you k-know is f-fine!"

Dance tapped his foot. "Uh... Paps prefers latin style... Grillby does fire dances, puts on a great big lightshow... the robot does this weird choreography stuff..." His smile softened to something more real. "...Tori ballroom dances... she's so much better than fluffybuns it isn't even funny..."

"D-does Asgore b-b-ballroom d-dance??" Alphys asked, trying to picture it.

"Uh... yeah... I guess..." Dance sounded disinterested.

"A-and what about m- I mean A-alphys?"

"Uh... never seen her dance, I don't think... Sorry, can't help ya there."

Alphys wrote frantically. "A-and you?"

Dance shrugged. "I don't dance."

"Liar." Slim and Stretch piped up at the same time, causing Alphys to jump. Alphys turned to look at her new guests, who had quietly made themselves comfortable. Comic let go of Rus's arm, letting him know it was alright to speak again.

"WHY DO YOU SAY HE IS LYING?!" Rus asked.

"Because we've seen it," Slim replied. "We got proof too."

Stretch chuckled. "I dunno the name of it, but it's pretty cool. Video is a blast."

"Don't you DARE..!" Dance groaned, hiding further in his hoodie.

"You have video?! I wanna see!" Lust piped up. "It'll give me an idea of how flexible he is..!" That teasing lilt in his voice only made Dance shrink back more, his exasperation audible.

"I thought you already knew how flexible he was," Slim snickered, watching as Comic offered Lust his phone to view the video.

"I wish," Lust replied, taking the proffered device. He winked at Slim. "But we both know how flexible _you_ are, don't we sweetie?"

"Careful, lil guy, ya might just lose yer customers if ya keep singing _my_ praises!"

Stretch pinched the ridge of his nasal bone, sighing. He didn't want to hear about this. It was bad enough the last time he heard about this. He didn't want to hear any more.

Comic raised an eyebrow ridge, not having any prior knowledge of such a thing (and somewhat wishing he didn't have that knowledge now). Rus looked between them, pretending he missed the innuendo while fighting down a blush that threatened to give him away. He knew how uncomfortable such topics made his brother, and how much better he felt when Rus avoided them completely.

Lust watched the little screen with interest, then his mouth fell open. "Dance, baby, this is _amazing_! What do you call it?!"

Dance hid further in his hood. "...Breakdancing..."

Alphys finally snapped out of her nervous shock, scratching out something on her notepad quickly.

"Well, I think you certainly broke a few hearts that day, didn't you?"

"Just shut up, Lust, geez..!"

Alphys looked up at Justice, scribbling the new nickname down without looking. "'Dance'? 'Lust'?" She inquired quietly. She had already figured, but confirmation would set her mind at ease.

"Oh! Uh, yeah, they have nicknames. Hey, weenies! Introduce yourselves!!"

"Stretch."

"They call me Lust, but you can call me whatever you want," Lust said with a wink. Alphys flushed. Justice ground her teeth.

"Dance..."

"Slim."

"AND WE ALREADY KNOW EACH OTHER!! I HAVE A NICKNAME TOO AND IT IS RUS!! WHICH IS SORT FOR PAPYRUS!!" Rus said energetically, grinning. "AND SANS IS CALLED COMIC BECAUSE HE TELLS AWFUL JOKES!! AND THEY CALL UNDYNE JUSTICE BECAUSE, UH, I DIDN'T QUITE GET THAT ONE, BUT I THINK IT FITS AND SHE LIKES IT!!"

Alphys looked up at Justice with a small smile. She thought it fit too.

Lust handed Comic back his phone, smiling as he turned to look for something. "And this is R-" Lust stopped. "Where's Red..?" He looked around more. He had been certain Red would follow them. Perhaps he shouldn't have been.

Slim took his phone out, pulling up the texting app, and sent a message to Red.

[where r u rn]

Red responded after a moment. [labs looking for ya where ya at]

Slim chuckled. [top floor cum say hi]

Meanwhile, Alphys had settled her focus on Lust. "C-could you- I mean, w-would you mind a-a-answering a f-few q-questions..?"

Lust smiled, sitting in the last untaken chair. "I'd be happy to, sweetie. Ask me anything."

Alphys cleared her throat. "I-in your universe, w-what is Asgore l-like?"

"Dunno. Never met him personally." Lust's smile fell a bit. "I get that he had good intentions... and Undyne likes him well enough, but..." He shrugged. "Guess I'm just kinda bitter."

Dance and Alphys both looked up at the echo of Dance's sentiment. "W-why?" Alphys had to ask.

Lust smiled. "I don't think it should have been mandatory, is all. We should have had a choice."

"A c-choice about w-what..?"

Lust opened his mouth to answer, when the elevator dinged. The door opened, and Red walked out, claws in his pockets, already in a foul mood. There was a single blotch of black ooze on his right shoulder, glistening in the florescent light. Red scanned the room, clicking is teeth irritably, before taking a position against the wall opposite where Alphys sat. He gave her his darkest glare as he crossed his arms.

Alphys felt a shudder run through her. That was a look of hatred.

Lust looked over his shoulder, smiling warmly at the angry monster. He signed, { _It's okay._ } quickly, which made Red's shoulder's relax a fraction, but the anger did not leave his glowing red eye. Lust turned back to Alphys. "That's Red. Now what was your next question?"

Alphys had lost her train of thought, forgetting her line of questioning after being subjected to Red's intimidation. "Um... What was U-undyne l-like?"

Lust shrugged. "I never had her, so I can't be sure, but she's got nothing but good reviews."

"'Had her'?" Alphys asked.

"Reviews?!" Justice asked at the same time.

Lust blinked, grin widening. "Oh, yeah. You don't know about that. Back home, we don't have a Royal Guard... so much as a... Royal Harem?"

The room went deafeningly quiet as everyone absorbed that information, and all it implied.

Then Red and Slim started laughing. Hard. Because the first thing to go through their minds was their brothers being 'Head of the Royal Harem' and the mental image of that was beyond hysterical.

Comic, Rus, Dance, and Stretch just went still, magic changing their maxillae to their respective colors. Justice lost color in her face.

Alphys kept picturing it and almost fainted. She snatched at a half full mug of tea in a shaking hand, chugging it to try and calm down. She could fantasize later, she could think about it later. Right now she had to make the most of this opportunity. She coughed, clearing her throat. "A-and what about y-y-your brother..?"

Lust smiled, not a seductive smile, or a wry smile, or even a mischievous smile. It was a small, happy, proud smile. The same smile Alphys had seen on Stretch and Dance when they spoke of, or thought about, their own brothers. It was a smile of familial love. "He's the coolest."

Alphys smiled back. That was all she needed. At least, all she needed from Lust. She still had two more monsters to talk to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Dance is a buzzkill
> 
> ~ Rust is Slim's OTP I swear to god
> 
> ~ for those of you still unfamiliar with Dancetale, [this is a post from the blog proper](http://dancetale.tumblr.com/post/136808454997/hey-its-the-animator-and-i-decided-im-gonna) giving out references to dance styles. I take a few liberties here and there but I try to stay faithful. :)
> 
> ~ my headcanon is that Dance!Papyrus can do any style dance he wants, and when training with Dance!Undyne he follows her style, which is canonically Capoeira.
> 
> ~ Slim is the second biggest slut of the group, and he doesn't care who knows because he has about as much shame as Lust, and fewer fucks to give
> 
> ~ Red took his shortcut to the true lab because it never occurred to him that they would be in any other part of the building. Yes he got into a few fights with some grumpy Amalgamates (good thing they can't die lol)
> 
> ~ Alphys has so much fap material rn jfc. She copied that vid of Dance!Undyne and Suave and it is now saved to her computer forever.
> 
> ~ Remember, Alphys is pansexual (or at least bi) so she's kinda attracted to everything. Meanwhile, Justice is 100% gay, girls only gay. Just wanted to clarify in case it was confusing.
> 
> ~ Rus is being quieter than usual because he knows Alphys doesn't like loud noises and he is not unaware that his voice is loud
> 
> ~ Stretch and Dance just want Alph to stop questioning Lust because omg no more please lol
> 
> \---------------------------------------------------------------------  
> BY THE WAY!  
> Remember that great first scene of Rust way back when? Their first sexy time? It was all in Lust's POV right? Well I wrote one from Red's POV. You can find it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/25260912)  
> This is the first installment of 'Resonance: Waves' which will consist of events that happen during the events of this story, such as POV change rewrites and stuff that just didn't get added at all. YAY Extra content!


	34. Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone takes their place as the undisputed Loremaster, and the machine is finished. Also the skeletons find themselves with an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a sudden case of writers block halfway through this, so while I know this is shorter than one might prefer, I wanted to get it out.
> 
> I kinda like where it ends anyway.

Red kept his eye on the lizard monster who hesitantly scanned the room, looking at each skeleton in turn thoughtfully. He didn't trust her. Just looking at those yellow scales made his nonexistent skin crawl. His gaze flickered over to Comic, then Justice, then back to Alphys, his body tensing and relaxing in turn for each one. He remembered how much trouble his lashing out at the damn goat had been, and that was just with Dance getting pissy. If he made a move without a good reason, he'd have two monsters on his ass that he did not want pissed off at him. So, no matter how badly he wanted to rip her still beating heart from her cold blooded chest, he had to maintain some semblance of self control. Well, so long as she didn't get within arms length of Lust, it would be fine.

Fuck, he hated this. He hated having something else he didn't want to lose. It had been fine when their only value was in getting him home, even if he hadn't been in much of a hurry to return. It had been fine when they were only useful to him alive. It was fine when he knew he could ditch them without a second thought the instant their little adventure was over.

Now? Now, he knew if Slim asked, he would come running to rain down red hell on his enemies. Now, he knew if Comic or Stretch were cornered, he would race to their side and shove so much power behind his blasters that nothing would be left but snowy powder. Now, he knew he wouldn't hesitate to stand back to back with Dance as they were swarmed from all sides. Now, he knew if anything happened to Lust, he would hunt down the creature responsible, introduce them to a world of pain they could never before hope to comprehend, make them beg and beg and beg for the sweet embrace of death, and then rend them into unrecognizable pieces.

Now, he knew that almost anyone in this room could make him do something very, very stupid. And _fuck_ did he hate it.

And so he focused that hate, as he always did. He compressed it into pure energy and filled his left eye socket with it, directing that hate-filled gaze at the lizard monster, warning her off, making sure she knew that his growl was no idle threat.

Alphys squirmed under the gaze. She made a few notes about her impression of Red, none of which were reassuring. He was a predator, a hunter, a warrior, a killer, bearing upon him the scars, the proof of his survival in a world that had clearly not been kind, boldly and unabashedly on his face. His body language, like a tightly wound spring just waiting to be released, with the potential energy to destroy anything in his path, had her sweating nervously, because he was making it obvious that she was square in the middle of that path. The confidence that oozed from him twisted in the air with the tension of the magical energy he held precariously in check, like a rabid dog that strained at the end of a leash. Looking at him, Alphys felt as though she were staring up at an unimaginable beast, the essence of violence and destruction, which only allowed her to continue to exist on a whim that could be changed in a heartbeat.

Taking a deep breath, Alphys forced herself to pull her eyes away, and inspect the last interdimensional guest, Slim. He was tall, and with his gold implant fangs and half healed cracks he was intimidating. Even though his posture was relaxed, almost lazy, there was a quality to it that differentiated it from Stretch's. It was more like that of a predator, but in a different, contrasting way from Red. Slim was a predator that felt no need to work at being threatening, one that had all the confidence that it was capable of responding to danger, without the need to put on a front. There was a quietness to his threat, but the threat was still there, in the fluidity of his motions, in the glint of his eye lights, in the way he always kept his center of gravity exactly where he needed it to move at a moment's notice.

Red was a Lion, loud and strong, roaring from it's position on a cliff, daring you to encroach on it's territory; Slim was a jaguar, lounging in it's tree, watching quietly, with curiosity, it's intelligent, shining eyes unsure whether what they saw was worth the effort of pouncing on.

Neither was something Alhpys felt safe approaching. Under normal circumstances, she would have made a hasty excuse and run to hide somewhere. However, this was the chance of a lifetime, and her scientist's heart refused to let her back down. She just had to work up the nerve. She just had to open her mouth and ask. She had the questions written down. She just had to ask-

"You alright?" Justice asked quietly, a webbed hand coming to rest on Alphys's shoulder.

"O-o-oh, y-yeah..." Alphys responded nervously, hiding behind her notepad.

Lust looked behind him at Red again, giving him a disapproving look. He knew Red was amping up the intimidation on purpose, just to make the lizard uncomfortable. Red saw the look on his face and grinned, unashamed, looking proud of himself. Lust sighed. He shouldn't have expected more at this point.

Dance cleared his throat. "If you're done, we'll just take the parts and-"

"Not a chance, punk!" Justice interrupted. "I told ya, not until you've ALL told my girl what she wants to know!"

"I-I don't know if I can..." Alphys mumbled.

"Aw, c'mon Alph, it's just one more. I know you can do it!"

"T-two, a-actually..."

"You don't have to talk to that guy," Justice said dismissively, waving her hand in Red's general direction. "I already told you about his place."

"Who th' fuck made YOU an expert on MY place?! An' ya better not o' been talkin' shit 'bout Boss, or I'll-"

"You'll what, shrimp?!" Justice snarled, standing up, handing the box to Alphys.

"I'll finish what I started th' last time ya mouthed off t' me!" Red shot back, flexing his claws enough to make an audible crack.

"You wanna say that to my face?!" Justice growled, spear coming into her hand.

"Before or after I roast ya on a barbecue?"

"NGAAAAAAAH!!" Justice lunged.

Red let his body go loose, flexible and ready, just like he always did for a FIGHT, grinning sadistically as he summoned bones to either side of him. Alphys could see the change in his stance, the shift from a warning roar to the silent hunt. Now the air about him was more like Slim, only heavier with danger. Alphys shivered, remembering the way Justice had described his universe: 'a place with a lot of difficult choices'.

Lust and Rus jumped up at the same time: Lust took a shortcut to Red's side, gripping his humerus through his coat and squeezing to get his attention; Rus jumped over and took hold of Justice's arm, halfway between her elbow and the fist she clutched her spear in.

"UNDYNE PLEASE NO FIGHTING!! AT LEAST NOT IN THE HOUSE- ER- LAB!!" Rus tried to reason with his friend.

"Calm down, sweetheart..." Lust whispered quietly in Red's ear. "Relax..." Lust could tell that the state Red was in was not true relaxation. He had seen Red truly relaxed, and this was not it. "This is not the time..."

Justice's arm shook, her teeth clenched as she growled, her eyes never leaving Red. After a moment, she let her spear dissipate, her arm going limp in Rus's hand. He let it go, sighing with relief.

Red leaned his head a little to the side, towards Lust, the skeleton's close proximity and soft voice bringing him out of his fighting zone. His sadistic smile turned into a scowl, his crimson eye pulsing a few times as his instincts tried to override whatever it was Lust had done to quell the desire for battle. Then he shoved his claws into his pockets, his shoulders tensing as he pulled himself inward, his scowl becoming a smug unapologetic grin. "I ain't in th' mood fer sushi anyway," Red reasoned out loud.

Lust sighed in relief, his hand sliding up to grip Red's shoulder, kneading his clavicle through the leather. His efforts were rewarded as some of Red's tension eased.

Comic and Stretch both sank back, Comic into the wall (and a little into Frisk), Stretch into his chair. The tension in the air was exhausting. They both wanted a nap. Frisk rubbed Comic's arm reassuringly, knowing exactly how he felt.

Alphys let out a breath she had been holding as she scribbled a quick note. She looked back up as Justice sat down next to her again. The intense pressure of Red's intimidation had all but vanished. She hesitantly examined him. That terrifying crimson eye was still trained on her (and Justice), but there was a flicker of something else in the wisps that came from it. Different shades of red, whispers of brown and yellow, swirling, making the color softer, more bearable. There was a slight droop in his eyelids now, his face radiating a smug satisfaction. His posture was easy, leaning back into the wall again, the sole of one foot braced flat against it. And he was slanted, almost imperceptibly, toward Lust, who had not left his side.

Alphys had seen this behavior before. In an anime. Oh my god. Oh my god. _Oh my god!_

Then she caught sight of Slim, who was looking at her with a glittering of knowing amusement. Their eyes met, for just a moment, and Alphys felt that maybe she could talk to him now.

Alphys cleared her throat. "U-u-um... S-slim was it? W-would you be w-willing to a-answer a few q-q-questions?"

"Sure," Slim said casually.

"O-okay! Um... In y-your universe, w-w-hat was A-asgore like..?"

Slim smiled. "A grumpy bastard. Always gets salty when I beat him at cards. Has some great weed though."

"W-weed?!" Alphys exclaimed.

"Uh-huh." Slim said simply, blowing a smoke ring. "Grows it himself, along with those flowers of his. His eyes are red from more than LV, nyeh heh heh! And if I bring him some booze every once in a while, he's happy enough ta share."

"I like him already," Red thought out loud.

"Surprise, surprise!" Dance grumbled. "The one variant of Asgore you like is the drug dealer!" He was still sore about Red's little outburst back at the dump.

"Fuck off, ya furry!" Red snapped, making Dance blush and sputter.

"Hey, no kink shaming!" Lust chided.

Comic hid his face in his hands. This was not a conversational topic he wanted his brother exposed to. Stretch hid in his hood. This was not a conversational topic he wanted _himself_ exposed to.

Alphys scribbled notes rapidly, trying to keep up. When she had finished, she cleared her throat. "P-please c-continue, S-slim. W-what else c-can you t-t-tell me a-about the k-king?" She requested, already guessing the response she would get.

Slim shrugged. He had expected her to ask a new question, but if she wanted to hear more about Asgore, that was fine too. "Well, fer starters, he isn't king. Hasn't been for years and years, the way he tells it. The old man's a crying drunk, funny enough, and talkative when he's high, always going on about missing his wife and kids and life before the Underground went ta hell. I think I've heard his life story three or four times."

Stretch sat up a little straighter at that. His Asgore was closed mouthed, secretive. He had always had questions, but been too polite to ask them. "Why did he leave?" He asked before he could stop himself.

"Kids died. Something about crossing the barrier and being killed by humans. He always started sobbing around there, so the details are fuzzy. Then his wife went mental, swearing war on humans and all that. But, uh, Asgore didn't want that..." Slim became thoughtful. "He said it would be an insult ta Frisk's memory... So he left. Went ta live in the Ruins like the tree hugger he is." He took a long drag. "Who woulda thought the old sap had adopted a fallen human way back when?"

Frisk went rigid as they listened, knowing that story all too well after their many trips across the underground. Comic gripped Frisk's shoulder, processing the new information rapidly. Rus looked at Frisk, his mind trying to catch up on the information, to fill in the many blanks it still left for him. Stretch sighed, applying this story liberally to what he knew of his world, and finding it all fit way too well. Dance ground his teeth, thinking of home. Red snorted, hiding his own reminiscing (no sob story was going to make him think better of Asgore). Lust was the only one who couldn't quite make all the pieces fit.

Undyne squeezed her hands into fists. Drugs and booze aside, that sounded way too much like her king and mentor. It explained why sometimes his eyes felt distant, why he wasn't as enthusiastic about the human hunting, why he never talked for more than a few words about his family. She sucked in a breath, held it, and let it out slowly.

Alphys was ecstatic, her passion for knowledge overriding any melancholy she would normally have felt. Answers, glorious answers, lay before her. The story made sense, gave those old tapes she had found in storage, which she had never been able to make sense of, context. She flipped the page and scrawled notes like a madwoman. "O-o-okay, next, w-what about U-undyne?"

Slim shrugged. "Nice enough, a bit reclusive... Smart, but, uh, flaky. Never stayed on the same project long enough ta finish unless someone rode her ass. Made working with her damn near impossible. Then there was the issue of her random experiments. She has a habit of using anyone and everyone she can get her hands on as guinea pigs. And she's nosy. I had to have a little talk with her after she snuck a camera into our house... She turned out to be a quick study." There was a quality to his smile that implied he did more than just talk, but no one said anything.

"S-so she's a s-scientist, then..." Alphys nudged.

"Yeah" Slim shrugged.

"A-and m-me? A-alphys, I mean..?"

Slim put the embers of his used up cigarette out on the back of his hand, making Justice, Alphys, and Rus wince. He spoke as he pulled out another one and lit it. "A member of the Royal Guard. Troublesome, but so long as she does her job I can't complain." Slim didn't really interact with Alphys directly back home, so he didn't have much to offer about her.

When Slim didn't elaborate further, Alphys cleared her throat. "S-s-so what a-about your b-brother..?"

Slim grinned that grin Alphys and Justice had grown to like, the one all the skeletons had in regards to their siblings. "The coolest. Captain of the Royal Guard, a man ta be feared and respected." There was awe and affection and true respect in his voice as he spoke. "Cooks like nobody else, even if it is 80% grease. His magic control, his talent for traps and puzzles, his keen sense for strategy and tactics, all preternatural. He's the best at damn near everything."

Alphys slowed her writing, looking at the notes under her pen. How many times had she written these same sentiments? She looked up, her eyes flickering over to Comic and Rus. She was certain, if she asked, that the same words would come from Comic's mouth. She knew he had said them to her at least once before, way back when they had first gotten to know each other. Comic adored his brother with a shameless devotion, and anyone who had spoken to him more than once knew it.

"Guess that's all I got." Slim took a quick puff. "Anything you wanna add, Red? For posterity?"

Red leered at Slim. "Go fuck yerself. How's that fer posterity?"

Slim snickered. "Well, I'll bet Pink'll be interested..! What do you think, Stretch?" Slim was rewarded with a groan worthy of coming from Dance.

"Who's Pink..?" Alphys asked Justice.

Justice shrugged.

Alphys took hold of the box, and carefully handed it to Dance. "T-t-thank you for i-indulging m-me..."

Dance nodded. Standing, he took a few steps away from Alphys and snapped his fingers, disappearing.

Alphys jumped, startled.

"Welp, that isn't a secret anymore," Comic thought out loud, chuckling. "See you all at home." He took hold of Rus and Frisk, and disappeared.

Stretch sighed. "Next time, remember - if you have questions, just ask." He looked pointedly at Justice one more time before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Slim chuckled. "Thanks for the entertainment." He left.

Red glared death at Alphys. Lust took hold of his hand and snapped his fingers, taking both of them away.

Alphys sank back into her chair. "W-what was..?!"

Justice grinned. "Thats how they do it. Teleporting, just like in the anime! It's so cool, right?!"

Alphys smiled up at her, wiping sweat off her brow with the sleeve of her lab coat. Now that they were gone, all her energy was drained. She didn't know how she had survived, let alone gotten her questions out. It was such a rush that now she couldn't even think of doing more than staring blankly into space.

Justice sat next to her, rubbing the claw that she was using to brace herself on the chair tenderly. "Ya did great, Alph. Really."

Alphys closed her eyes, words and ideas fighting for dominance in her mind. There was a pattern in her notes, she was certain. There was a pattern. And she would discover it... after a well deserved fainting spell.

* * *

Back at the house, the skeletons jumped into work on the machine. Red took up his position with the wiring again, grumbling about it the whole time. With Comic and Stretch weaving in and out, Slim couldn't resume his previous game, but he managed to keep himself entertained regardless, as Lust was still staring at Red from his spot on the couch, eyes trained on the claws that still bore burn marks. Dance insisted on checking and re-checking the work that had been done in his absence.

"Why did you put it here?" Dance asked rhetorically, his voice flat with annoyance he had been prepared to expect.

"'Cuz thats where it fuckin' goes."

"The wires need to curve up like thi-"

"FUCK! DAMNIT Don't MOVE 'em while I'm patchin' 'em! Shit!" Red looked at the fresh burn, now on his palm, and sighed. It was a good thing bone was such a poor conductor in the grand scheme of things, and that inanimate objects didn't have killing intent.

Slim chuckled, handing Stretch the component he had just finished calibrating.

"Dance can be quite _shocking_ when he tries, huh?" Comic grinned.

"He's exactly _watt_ we need around here." Stretch agreed.

"At this rate we'll be h _ohm_ in no time." Slim smirked.

"STOP IT!!!" Rus pleaded from the kitchen, where he was trying to cook lunch.

Even Dance started snickering, as he slid the last part into place. "Finished!" He said with no small amount of glee.

Everyone just stood there, staring at the fruits of their labor. It was finally finished.

The machine was finished.

"So, who should do the honors?" Comic asked, smiling genuinely.

"Who cares?" Red muttered.

"Comic? You should." Stretch said definitively.

Comic looked around the room. "You guys sure?"

"Just pull the switch," Slim drawled. "Not hard, right?"

Lust smiled. "I think its fitting."

Comic looked at the power switch, then, with a swift motion, gripped it and pulled.

The machine sprang to life, lights going on one after the other, a great mechanical _wurr_ filling the room.

"YES!" Dance jumped, punching the air excitedly.

"We still don't know if th' damn thing works, yet..." Red grumbled, but there was a softness in his voice that indicated he was pleased.

"Shall we test-" Stretch started, but was cut off by a thump behind him.

He turned around.

* * *

A golden light permeated the Hall of Judgement. Considering the circumstances, it was fitting. This was a war of attrition, and it was fought with golden light and bloody red DETERMINATION. The clash of metal against metal, and metal against magic, echoed between the marble pillars, the harsh ring breaking what would otherwise be deathly silence.

Finally, as if it could no longer maintain it's silence, a voice spoke between the crashing noise.

"I know your type."

**CLANG!!**

"You're-" there was another clang, and a jingling noise, as though two combatants were locked in a struggle with metal weapons. The voice panted, straining with the effort of not being forced back. "-very determined, aren't you?"

They were answered with a laugh from someone else, someone who seemed to find their struggles amusing.

**CLANG!!**

"You'll never give up," the first person continued, "Even if there's-" A sliding noise, as metal was scrapped quickly against metal, and a whooshing sound, as sharpened projectiles flew through the air. "-absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever."

The laughter, childish and yet haunting, intensified. Flecks of red liquid flew through the air.

"No matter what, you'll just keep going. Not out of any desire for good or evil..."

 **CLANG!!** Sparks were thrown into the air as weapons collided.

"But just because you think you can. And because you _can_..."

The laughter fizzled out as a loud squelching noise overtook it, then returned with a greater depth to it, a darkness that reverberated into the very soul of the listener. Red liquid dripped to the floor, leaving a trail of puddles in the wake of its source.

"... you _have to_."

Projectiles rushed through the air, and a few small slicing noises could be heard as some found their mark. The laughter did not stop.

"But now, you've reached the end. There is nothing left for you now. There is nothing left _because_ of you..."

 **CLANG!!** Once more metal met metal. Blood pooled in the shadow of two figures, staining the gentle yellow and cream colors that violent red.

"So," The voice was softer now, not from lack of conviction of emotion, but simply because they no longer had the breath to spare. "In my personal opinion? The most 'determined' thing you can do here? Is to-" The voice paused, the owner gulping down another lungful desperately. Sweat dripped down and landed with a plop into the blood below. "-completely give up."

The _shink_ of metal sliding against metal cut through the laughter and the panting. A solid thunk filled the air, as two bodies collided. A clatter filled the room as two knives were dropped to the floor. The two forms wrestled, rolling in the blood as they fought to take control. Finally, the struggling tapered off, two creatures fighting for air in the near silence.

"Heh," the voice finally let out an single, empty, humorless laugh, "Didja really think you would be abl-"

Then there was a soft thunk, a sickening sliding sound as a weapon found its mark, and high pitched cry, filled with pain and rage and exhaustion. There was a thud as a body fell without resistance, and blood pooled under it. A childish laugh filled the air.

"So..." the voice trembled. Tears slid down a face that refused to drop its mask of a smile. "'Guess that's it, huh? You're gonna leave me like this..."

The sound of projectiles whistling blindly through the air was drowned out by laughter. Then footsteps receded into the distance, and the trembling, sobbing mess, left for dead in the middle of the hall was alone.

"Rei... let's go home... one last time..."

There was a loud crack, and the world shifted.

* * *

Stretch stared down at the floor in horror.

There, on Comic and Rus's carpet, was the broken, beaten, battered, _bloody_ body of a human, a large knife sticking out of their back, between their shoulder blades. Their green jacket was stained red all over, a hiccup and a quiet sob wracking their otherwise still frame.

The colors of the rainbow bandanna that was tied to their left arm was dulled with the grey of Dust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Slim. Slim is the undefeated Loremaster.
> 
> ~ Now we know why Slim didn't have anything but a few cigs on him -- he has a personal drug dealer on call 24/7, so he doesn't need to carry.
> 
> ~ This is my headcanon for Swapfell because why not
> 
> ~ Slim is just answering questions like a fucking encyclopedia because HEY YOU ASKED. 
> 
> ~ A cookie to whoever can tell me what AU just dropped into the middle of Comic's livingroom :) Fuck yeah I'm so glad I got to tie it in somehow


	35. When the World Shifts (Pt 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Comic has an unexpected guest, Frisk gets hurt, and there is a lot of yelling. Also OH SHIT THAT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so congratulations to everyone who answered "StoryShift". You are correct. Enjoy your cookies.
> 
> StoryShift belongs (to the best of my knowledge) to the [Ut-StoryShift Tumblr](http://ut-storyshift.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Please note that this is probably like 90% my headcanon and probably deviates greatly from the official story, as I've only ever found stuff regarding events in the pacifist route.

Stretch stood frozen. He could hear the blood and magic pounding in his own skull. That couldn't be what he thought it was, _who_ he thought it was. Surely not. There was too much blood, they weren't moving, _why weren't they moving?_

"Shut it off!" Red hissed. He didn't wait for Comic, who still had his hand on the machine's power switch, to respond. He jumping up from his spot on the floor and wrapping his claws around Comic's hand on the switch. With a grunt, he yanked down hard, killing the power on the machine. The lights shut off, the wurring buzz fading to nothing. The room was engulfed in an uncomfortable silence.

The silence was then filled with the low thrum of a steady bass beat. Dance's eye glowed a deep but vibrant pure blue, his one foot tapping along to the song. Bones enveloped in a dark blue light flickered into existence, then shot towards the human on the floor.

Frisk jumped in the way, bracing for the impact.

Bones glowing both orange and light blue shot from the ground in front of Frisk, absorbing Dance's assault. The air exploded with white bone powder and residual magic. Stretch and Comic held their hands out, the tips of their fingers still tinged with magic light. They both shot Dance a dirty look.

"Shit..!" Red hissed, on edge not only from the unexpected guest, but by the tension in the air.

"Why did you stop me?!" Dance growled, his shoulders hunched and tense, eye still ablaze, as volatile as Red's.

"FOR STARS SAKE, DANCE, WHY DO YOU THINK?!" Stretch admonished harshly. "You almost KILLED them!!!"

"That was the point!!" Dance growled.

"You almost killed Frisk!!!" Comic growled low, his eye lights dark except for the cyan and gold that flickered and jittered erratically with his rage.

Dance glared back at them. "So what?!"

Comic took a step towards Dance, air crackling. " **Y o u a l m o s t k i l l e d F r i s k .** "

"As if you haven't," Dance chided, crossing his arms as he watched Comic flinch visibly. "Besides, it's their own fault for trying to protect that dirty br-"

Stretch smacked Dance across the face, the impact of bone against bone breaking through the air like a gunshot. " **Don't. make. assumptions.** " he said, punctuating each word with a venom Dance had never expected to ever hear come out of his mouth. Dance held his face, feeling the throb where it was struck.

Lust slid off the couch, putting a hand to the human's neck. There was a pulse, but it was slowing. He ground his teeth, ignoring the queasiness in his middle as he took off his gloves. Tossing them back to the couch, he placed two fingers next to the knife. "Someone get me a bowl of water and a washcloth, please," He said into the air as he felt where the blade was. As he thought, it had been slid in between the vertebrae, piercing the spinal column. Either the assailant had been aiming for this particular spot, or the human had been incredibly lucky, because it was just at the right position and angle to paralyze, and not kill. The human didn't even twitch at his touch, likely numb.

Slim pulled away from the wall, going into the kitchen to fetch what Lust asked for.

"Don't touch it!" Red growled, darting past the still shaken Frisk to grab Lust's shoulder. "We dunno what th' fuck this thing can do yet, dumbass!!"

"They're hurt," Lust said evenly, quietly. "We have to help them or they'll die."

"Let it," Dance said coldly, stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

Stretch took a shortcut to the spot next to the human, looking down at them with wide eyes. He knelt, a shaking hand brushing bloody, matted hair out of the human's face. It was them. It was Chara. They were bigger, older perhaps, and very much in horrible condition, but Stretch recognized those features that he had seen in his dreams every night for the passed week. He was certain that if the human opened their eyes, he would once more be drowning in a sea of candlelight. "A-are you still with us, kiddo..?" He asked softly, fighting the tremor in his voice. There was no response. 

"They aren't dead yet," Lust said reassuringly, possibly reacting to the look on Stretch's face. If he looked half as shaken as he felt, he wouldn't be surprised.

Slim came back with the water and cloth, setting it down next to Lust before backing away to have a smoke. Lust patted Red's hand, shooing him gently back in Slim's direction. Red glowered down at him. He let go, but did not back away.

Lust looked at Stretch. "Can you help me turn them? I need them laying on their front to do this..."

Stretch nodded, taking a gentle hold of Chara's shoulders and shifting them so they were flat on their stomach, their head turned to the side. Frisk, seemingly certain that Dance was not going to attack again, turned to watch with no small amount of concern.

Stretch looked at Slim briefly with longing, before turning his eyes back to the human. He wanted a smoke of his own right about now. Or some honey. Or both. _Stars_ , did he need something. The iron smell of the still pooling blood nauseated him, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the human's side. His hands still shaking, he took hold of one of their hands, only to find it sticky and slick with blood both wet and dry. The red color that clung to his bones sent a shudder through him. It was warm. He had no idea blood was warm.

Lust took a deep breath that brought Stretch from his thoughts. Gripping the hilt of the knife with one hand, holding the human's back down with the other, Lust began to ease the blade free, taking care not to shake it. As the cruel metal implement was brought out, Stretch saw how long it was. It was almost the size of his hand. The entirety of the blade was covered in bits of blood, strips of flesh, and what looked like bone marrow. Lust pulled it out completely, dropping it uselessly to the floor as he set to work with his healing magic.

Stretch only gave the weapon a cursory glance before turning his attention back to Lust and Chara. Red liquid stained the bones of Lust's hands, pooling in the fabric of the human's clothes. How could a human lose so much blood and still be alive? Stretch swallowed, his magic feeling thick inside him. He forced himself to think positive. Lust was a good healer. He knew what he was doing. If he said that the human was alive, then Stretch could trust him.

After what felt like ages to Stretch, Lust pulled his hands away. He shook, drenched in sweat. And started to fall over. Red caught him before he fell. Lust panted, the lights of his eyes dim. "I'm fine, I- I just need a..." His eye lids drifted shut before he could finish. Red cursed under his breath, dragging the tired healer to the wall by the stairs so he would be out of the way while he rested.

Stretch looked down at the human on the floor beside him. They were breathing more evenly. Stretch sighed with relief. Careful not to jostle them too much, Stretch picked up Chara and laid them on the sofa to rest more comfortably.

Then the arguments began.

* * *

Frisk dabbed at Chara's forehead, getting the last of the blood off as they listened to the same conversation play out behind them for the 5th time.

"We should have let it die!" Dance said vehemently.

"For the last time, we don't even know where they came from! It isn't fair to assume they're bad just because YOU had a bad experience!" Stretch defended, waving the cigarette he got from Slim in Dance's direction before sticking it back in his mouth.

"EVERYONE has had a bad experience with that demon!" Dance insisted.

"I didn't!" Stretch shot back.

"So you're just going to conveniently forget how it tried to _slash you in half_???"

Stretch gripped his hoodie, right over where he remembers there being a huge hole in the cloth. "That was different..."

"Why don't we just turn the machine on and go home?" Lust asked, his exhaustion evident in his voice.

"An' risk more bullshit?!" Red scoffed. "We ain't got no idea how th' brat got here! What if th' fuckin' thing's defective?! We could be flingin' people left an' right without knowin'!"

"It shouldn't be able to do that..." Comic mused out loud, eyeing the machine thoughtfully.

"Yer ass shouldn't be able t' do that, neither, but look what happened?"

"He's got a point," Slim pointed out, blowing a smoke ring.

"We also don't know how they got hurt," Stretch reminded them. "That could be our fault too."

"I hope it is..." Dance grumbled irritably.

"We must be camping right now." Comic said out loud.

"W-what?" Stretch blinked, confused by the non-sequitur.

"Because we're in- _tents!_ "

Frisk covered their mouth, stifling a giggle. The tension in the room evaporated almost instantaneously.

Stretch smiled. " _Camp_ argue with that logic..!"

"You're all un _bear_ able..!" Dance grumbled, but his voice was lighter.

"You'll be _pine_ -ing for us when we're gone, though," Slim remarked.

"Yer _bark_ in' up th' wrong _tree_ there, princess," Red snickered.

"Yeah, because I'm never _leaf_ -ing you!" Lust purred in Red's ear, making him flush briefly.

"Now that we've got a more _natural_ chemistry going," Comic announced, "let's talk about this more reasonably?"

Frisk couldn't take it anymore. They burst out laughing, holding their sides. Comic smiled, watching them. Nothing was more soothing than the sound of Frisk's laughter.

* * *

Nothing was more aggravating than the sound of that human's laughter.

Chara shot up violently, every muscle screaming from the tension, the strain. Chara's back was laced with pain, but they paid it no mind. All their attention was on the smell of blood and the sound of that voice. And then Chara saw them, standing right next to them, almost doubled over with their laughter, clutching the sides of their offensive purple sweater. Chara felt the dregs of their abysmally low magic reserves roil, heating the back of their eyes like tears in that way that they knew caused them to light up.

" **Y o u d i r t y b r o t h e r k i l l e r .** "

Being so low on magic, Chara couldn't summon a knife to their hand as they wanted, but the human was close enough that they could slug them the old fashioned way. Chara smiled at the satisfying sensation of fist meeting face, sending the human careening towards the wall by the door. With the sheer force of it. That shut them up. Maybe they broke their jaw? Wouldn't that be nice.

Chara stood up, chest heaving, smiling at the previous thought. "Following me, now? Not satisfied?" Chara knew there hadn't been a RESET: for starters, their clothes were caked with blood, not all of it their own as they recall; second, they could feel the tightness of their precious brother's bandanna still tied to their arm; third, their magic supply was almost entirely depleted, and had a RESET happened, they would be at full; fourth, they had woken up on the couch, which was not where a RESET would have landed them. Still, something DID feel off about the situation. However, Chara was overcome with their righteous fury. They could worry about the inconsistencies later.

Then they saw it, there on the floor: their vine cutting knife. It still bore the signs of their previous fight, but Chara recognized the black hilt and red ivy design. They snatched it up, gripping so tightly that the embossed pattern dug into the flesh of their hand, and turned to face the human, who had stood up from the floor, holding their tear streaked face with one hand.

Chara licked the flat of their tool turned weapon, tasting the traces of human blood and LOVE. "Then _let's just get to the point_." Vision tunneled, ignoring everything in their single minded DETERMINATION to eradicate the creature before them, Chara lunged, swiping down hard at Frisk, the strike aiming to lop off their head.

Then, suddenly, there was a skeleton monster in the crossfire. The monster wore a ratty blue jacket with a grey hood, but Chara would recognize that face anywhere. It was Sans. The King. And he looked _pissed_. Chara contracted the muscles of their arm, freezing it mid-swing, but they already felt the familiar pressure of BLUE magic on their SOUL. The sensation was chilling. It had none of the reluctance they had expected, no hesitation. They felt their body slam upwards into the ceiling, knocking the breath out of them. Then they were smashed down to the floor, the impact making their head swim and vision blur. Then they were flung at an angle, driving them into the railing of the second floor, digging it into their abdomen painfully. Chara could taste the blood they coughed up from that impact. With each strike, they could feel their HP trickle down: 19; 18; 17.

Then they heard a familiar, loud voice scream out, "STOP IT!"

Chara felt the BLUE release them, and their body fall.

Only to be caught in strong, gentle arms, held against something that smelled faintly of honey and heavily of cigarette smoke.

"You okay, Frisk?" Sans's voice asked, sounding worried. He was answered by a whimper.

"I got you, sweetie," A voice that sounded like Sans's, except smoother and a little more tired, said from the other side of the room.

"No ya don't." A gruff voice cut in. "Ya did more than ya shoulda already."

"We can't just leave them like that!" The smoother voice argued. "Besides, I'm f-"

"Say yer fine without soundin' like ya wrestled an amalgamate, an' maybe I'll believe ya," the gruff voice growled, sounding unnecessarily annoyed.

"Are _you_ going to do it, then..?"

A low growl which rose to something close to a roar irrupted, followed by stomping. Chara heard the human give a surprised yelp. "Stop squirmin' ya li'l shit or I'll leave ya like this!" The gruff voice hissed.

"Thank you," Sans's voice breathed out in relief.

"Yeah, yeah... Don't mention it. Ever." The gruff voice grumbled, put out.

Chara finally got their eyes to focus again. On one side of the room, near the door, was Sans, the hateful human, and another skeleton monster who looked... like Sans, only pointy, and red, and even more angry (if it was possible).

And he was touching the human.

"G-get away from it..!" Chara screamed, wriggling desperately. They could tell from the gentle hum of magic that the person holding them was a monster, so they couldn't use their full strength without risking hurting them, couldn't risk using the arm which still clutched at their knife like a life line, but still they tried to get away. They couldn't just sit back and let it happen anymore. They couldn't do it. They had to kill it, had to kill it so there wouldn't be anymore dust.

Those strong arms did not give, only tightening their hold.

"Easy there, kiddo," that voice, which had been so loud before, whispered gentle, almost in Chara's ear. "You've got it all wrong... show a little _humanity_ , heh..."

" **F u c k H u m a n i t y .** "

Chara wasn't certain if they said that out loud or not, but it didn't matter. The sentiment was sufficient to dredge up enough anger-fueled magic for a single projectile, which they sent flying at the human's head. It was intercepted by a deep orange bone, canceling out the little energy that Chara had been able to put into it.

"I'm on magic duty, apparently..?" A confused voice, sounding much like the familiar one, but with a bit more grit, announced.

"Stars..!" A voice much like Sans's, if a bit more bitter, gasped.

"That's new..." That smooth voice from before thought out loud.

Chara stared at where the knife had disappeared. Tears of frustration streamed down their face as they squeezed their eyes shut. They barely had the energy left to keep their head up. Their SOUL shook violently inside them, their DETERMINATION swelling almost painfully fast in anticipation of death. They had to stay DETERMINED. If they didn't, that _thing_ was going to run around unchecked. Still, their body was burning with both phantom and real pain, their magical reserves were spent in a way they had never experienced before, and their sanity had begun to fray 60 LOADs ago. Their grip on their vine cutting knife slackened.

Chara felt the hold the monster had on them shift, so that their body was supported on only one of the monster's long arms, sitting on it with their weight up against the monster's chest. The smell of smoke intensified as their head was elevated to the monster's shoulder. They felt a gentle bony hand carefully take their knife away. "It's alright..." The familiar voice whispered. "Calm down..."

Chara listened. Perhaps it was because the voice reminded them of a time long ago, when they had clutched that same knife in the snow. Perhaps it was the soothing intonation. Perhaps it was the realization in the back of their mind that there was no killing intent in the room besides their own. The reason was irrelevant. They relaxed into the monster, taking a few deep breaths they hadn't realized they needed as they allowed the adrenaline that had been pumping through them for what felt like years to finally die down.

"That's it..." The voice said. "Good job."

Chara felt the monster move then, felt them sit down on something. From the feeling against Chara's feet, it was likely the couch.

"Stop coddlin' the fuckin' thing an' lets get some damn answers!" The gruff voice growled.

"Stop it," the familiar voice said with exasperation.

"I for one think we deserve an explanation," the bitter voice said.

"Let them rest -- they're still in bad shape," the smooth voice protested.

"Not so bad they couldn't break Frisk's jaw..." Sans said darkly.

"I'm okay," Frisk chimed in softly.

Chara fumbled into their jacket pocket, pulling out a chocolate bar wrapped carefully in tin foil. It was one of the ones their mom had made from scratch, so it had a little magic in it. They tore the protective foil off with shaking fingers and bit into it, purring softly at the satisfying tingle of fire magic, like carbonated home. It was dark chocolate, bitter and strong, just the way Chara liked it. They felt their reserves grow back to manageable levels, the pain in their back easing. They re-wrapped the foil and stuck it back in their pocket as they opened their eyes again.

Only to be met with the worried, curious face of Papyrus.

But he was smoking.

"What-?!" Chara scrambled back, falling off not only Papyrus's lap, but the couch. They looked around. They should have been home, and while it kind of reminded them of home, this place was definitely NOT home. The colors were all wrong, there were no water sausages, or golden flowers, and now that they were thinking about it, the SMELL was all wrong, the air tasting of italian spices instead of sugary treats.

And the room was filled with skeletons. Who all reminded Chara of Sans and Papyrus. It was disorienting and a little nerve wracking. It didn't help that the human was RIGHT THERE and liable to attack at ANY MOMENT and-

"Woah, kid, calm down, no need to panic!" The 'Papyrus' that had been holding Chara said quickly. "I get it, you must be real confused, but we're not exactly sure what happened either..."

Chara looked around again, trying to keep their head. There was something terribly wrong. They looked at the human again, surging their magic for a proper CHECK, their left eye flashing a bright gold even they could see the glow of:

> **Line 001:** Frisk | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 002:** 1 | _// LV_  
> **Line 003:** 20 | _// Current HP_  
> **Line 004:** 20 | _// Max HP_  
> **Line 005:** 10 | _// Attack (-10)_  
> **Line 006:** 0 | _// Weapon ATK_  
> **Line 007:** 10 | _// DEF (-10)_  
> **Line 008:** 3 | _// Armor DEF_  
> **Line 010:** 0 | _// EXP_  
> **Line 011:** 20 | _// GOLD_  
> **Line 012:** 0 | _// Kills_  
> **Line 036:** 88 | _// Fun_  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 116:** 0 | _// Has Umbrella_  
  
Chara felt their eyes go wide. _Line 12 was at zero!_ They hadn't killed anyone! This was a clean run! That, of course, brought up the question of why Chara themselves were still in such a sorry state. Had there been a glitch in the system? They would have to investigate further. In the meantime, Chara quickly plastered a congenial smile on their face. They had probably scared these poor monsters spitless, and that needed to stop. Standing up, Chara stuffed their hands in their pockets. "Oh. I see. Sorry, little mirror," Chara said, addressing the human who still hid behind the skeleton in the blue jacket. "Appears to be a case of mistaken identity. Can't blame me though, right? All us humans look alike."

The air in the room felt immediately lighter, the underlying magical currents that had been undulating in response to the tension now dissipating. Blue-jacket looked at the human, who smiled and nodded in an obvious acceptance of the apology. Chara smiled back.

"Is it time for introductions?" The smooth voice piped up, some of the exhaustion gone. Chara turned, seeing the source was the skeleton in revealing clothes that reminded Chara of a rave party. They were leaning against he wall by the stairs. Chara noticed the dull rusty stains on the bones of their hands as they pointed around the room, saying names that reminded Chara of what humans would call their pets. Chara filed the names away in their head, but zoned in on their observations.

"Did you... heal me..?" Chara asked tentatively.

The skeleton (introduced as Lust) smiled. "Sure did, sweetie. You were in quite the state when you dropped in. Mind if I ask how it happened?"

Chara wasn't usually the type to go running their mouth, but between their awful day and the shock of being in such bizarre circumstances, coupled with the guilt of having someone care for them when they did not deserve it...

"I got in a FIGHT..."

"With what?" The one called Dance asked irritably.

Chara instinctively glanced at the human before catching themselves and looking at the floor. What they knew of this run told them that the human had already charmed the monsters for the most part. It would only confuse them if Chara told the truth, but at the same time Chara despised the idea of lying outright to poeple they should be showing gratitude to. They wracked their brain for a half truth that would satify-

"You fought the human." Slim observed aloud, blowing another smoke ring.

Chara bristled. Damn, was that guy observant, if he could read Chara's body language so easily! They looked at him in surprise. He looked back with quite contemplation.

"Why were you fighting Frisk?" Comic (who, _damn it_ , looked so much like Sans it was eerie!) asked, a hand on the human (Frisk)'s shoulder.

Chara gripped their own arm, their fingers squeezing around the dusty bandanna, feeling the grit they didn't have the heart to wipe away. "Community service," they answered wryly. A humorless laugh escaped them at that. _Yeah, some community..._ At least their dad had managed to evacuate in time...

Chara noticed that there was something going on between the skeletons. Their hands were moving in regular patterns, gestures repeating in ways that told Chara it was a form of communication. Comic. Dance. Stretch. Red. Lust. Slim. Comic, Dance, and Lust all at once. Stretch again. Then there was a pause in the exchange, and Comic made a decisive final motion.

"Are you familiar with multiverse theory?" Stretch asked finally.

Chara looked back at the monster who had been so patient and gentle with them. "Sorry, no..." That was an unusual non-sequitur.

"In laymans terms," Comic started, "the idea is that, if it is possible, there is a universe where it is reality. Say you flip a coin. There is a universe where it lands as heads, and another where it lands as tails-"

"And another where it lands on its side?" Chara interjected. "Okay, yeah, I know about that. Dad went on about it for a while... I just didn't know the name."

"Hate t' break it to ya," Red said, hands in his pockets, sounding like he didn't hate what he was saying at all, "but it ain't just theory no more. It's fact. An' yer lookin' at it."

"Okay..?" Chara wasn't quite following. What did he mean? 

"What Red is trying ta say," Stretch said evenly, "is that we are pretty sure yer from another universe."

Chara felt the blood drain from their face. All the pieces fit. The human had their 12th line at 0, but there hadn't been a RESET. The house was familiar, but foreign at the same time. They started shaking, clutching at the bandanna with one hand and the pendent under their shirt with the other. If they were in another universe, that meant the human who had- that had- they were-! Chara had to go back, had to stop them, had to beat them down so they would make it right. The question was... "How..?"

"Temporal anomalies, wrinkles and warping in the space-time continuum, if large enough, have been proven to cause this to happen," Slim said clinically.

"Like teleportation?" Chara asked a little too quickly, unsure of what answer they wanted to hear.

"Uh, yeah..." Comic answered. "Why do you ask?"

Chara snapped their fingers, praying to feel the familiar sensation of the world shifting around them. It did, but Chara saw they had only moved a few inches to the left. They tried again. And again. And again. But they hardly moved at all. They weren't going home. _They weren't going home!_

Stretch stood up from the couch taking a firm hold of Chara's shoulders. "Stop. You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep that up!"

Chara didn't stop. They felt the swell of their DETERMINATION, the burning power coiling in the culmination of their being. They stoked it like a fire, making it build, stronger and stronger, until they were certain they would explode from the sheer pressure of it.

Then they snapped their fingers.

The crack in their ears was louder than usual.

Chara blacked out.

* * *

Rus returned, holding the paper bag of groceries and medical supplies that he was certain would be necessary. He walked into the livingroom, smiling. "HOW IS THE NEW HUMAN??" he asked.

Rus was not given an answer. Everyone else, Frisk included, was staring at the center of the livingroom, disbelief and horror etched into their facial expressions.

Strangely enough, neither the new human, nor Stretch, were anywhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Rus just being the silent support... he took one look at the "new human" and ran out for supplies
> 
> ~ Stretch is feeling things
> 
> ~ Not sure who has greater animosity towards Chara: Comic or Dance
> 
> ~ Frisk took that left hook like a champ
> 
> ~ AWW fuck Red doing healing so Lust can rest after he literally reconstructed Chara's spinal column SQUEEEE
> 
> ~ Notice how very different Chara's CHECK is to everyone elses? Yeah I worked my ass off finding the info to get that shit right. That is totally on purpose.
> 
> ~ Chara don't panic Don't Panic FUCK they're panicking
> 
> ~ aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand they're gone


	36. When the World Shifts (Pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Stretch gets a brief view of a new universe, and learns a few things. Also Chara makes a Freudian slip.
> 
> Also Chara tries to fix their mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this AND a swapped POV of this all in a day holy shit.  
> When you're done here, check out the swapped POV. I'll hide the link in the end notes :)
> 
> I was real hyped for this.  
> I'm even more hyped for the next part.

It was dark.

Darker.

Yet darker.

Stretch could still feel their hands clutching at the human, could still feel their softness, their warmth, could still see their face, peaceful in unconsciousness; however, that was _all_ he could see, all he could feel, all he could sense, and not in the way where all other sensations become background noise, no. There was simply nothing else there. There was no air. There were no sounds. There was not even a surface beneath his feet, nor a sense of gravity to pull him towards one.

There was only the Void.

Stretch clutched tighter at the human, pulling them into his arms and squeezing, desperate for some kind of stimulation. He remembered this from that time in Dance's universe: the pervasive black, the deafening silence, the way the lack of pressure on his bones made him feel like he would fly apart at any moment. But it was different than before too: before, there had been a, well, not 'warmth' exactly, but a 'fullness' of sorts, to the darkness. That may sound strange when ascribed to a Void, but it was true, there had been a something-ness, a sense that, even if it was out of reach, there was something there, as if a great source of pure existential force had radiated its presence from across infinity, calling out to his loneliness. Now? Now that indescribable sense of 'something' was gone, and it made the void infinitely more terrifying for it. He had hardly noticed that something before, but he sure as hell noticed its absence.

Stretch wasn't certain how long he floated (?) there, clinging to the human, wishing they would at least open their eyes so he could see some kind of light (his favorite kind if he was being honest). It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, it could have been days.

Then it was over, and Stretch was in the middle of someone's livingroom.

And his arms were empty.

Stretch sank to the what felt like carpet, his legs giving out on him. He hugged himself, willing his bones to stop their rattling, or at least quiet them.

"CHARA!!" A small but strong voice called. "CHARA!! WAKE UP!!" There was a pounding noise.

Stretch took deep, unnecessary breaths to ground himself, shaking still from his time in the Void. He opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut at some point, and looked around. He was laying (well, kneeling now) on a cream and beige carpet, between a sizable TV and a green couch. There was a tall brown vase with water sausages to the right of the TV, and further right still was a doorway. Against the wall to the right of that was a table, on which sat a pot of golden flowers.

The layout was looking to be just like home. Meaning, that was the kitchen, and there was a door on the opposite wall leading outside. Stretch looked to the left. There was a small side table with a large blue book sitting in the corner opposite a large staircase. Stretch let his eyes follow the staircase upward.

There, on the second floor landing, was a small goat monster in blue cloths. Around their neck was a rainbow colored bandanna. They were knocking enthusiastically on the door that, if the layout was the same as his own home, would have been his room.

After a moment, the door opened. And Chara came out, their dark, dull brown eyes moist as tears streamed down their face. They sank to their knees, hugging the goat monster around the waist and sobbing, shaking.

"Chara..! Did- Did you have another nightmare..?" The goat monster asked, hugging Chara back tenderly.

Chara nodded, shaking. "S-sorry, Rei... I'm so s-sorry..."

The goat monster nuzzled the top of Chara's head. "It's alright... You're fine now... It was just a bad dream. I'll protect you from all the bad things!"

Chara slowly stopped shaking, their voice becoming more even. "Heh... yeah... What do I have to be afraid of..?" They squeezed a bit tighter, before letting go and looking up at the monster. "I've got you, right?"

"Best friends forever! And siblings forever too!" The goat monster agreed, smiling big, his two top fangs accenting his other, much smaller teeth in an endearing manner. Then he coaxed Chara to stand up, brushing their tears away with the fluff of his paw. "Now let's go enjoy breakfast, then we can go play Humans and Monsters!"

"Sounds good to me," Chara agreed, a gentle smile playing on their face now. Their eyes were still dark, the glow completely absent from them.

Somehow, to Stretch, that felt wrong.

Chara and the goat monster came down the stairs, but stopped dead halfway down when they both saw Stretch. Stretch bristled. Maybe he should have left...

"HOWDY!" The goat monster said cheerfully, his voice wavering only slightly from nervousness and understandable shock. "I didn't hear you come in... or knock... are you lost?"

Chara put a hand on the monster's shoulder, their eyes sparking yellow briefly. "Sorry, he's my guest. I told him to just come in if I didn't hear him knock." They were speaking a little bit faster than they needed to.

The goat monster smiled, either not noticing the cues indicating Chara's hasty lie, or choosing to ignore them. "Oh! Thats great! You never bring friends over! I'll work extra hard on breakfast, then!" He dashed towards the kitchen, the soft footfalls of his bare feet audible in the stunned silence that he left behind.

Stretch stood up, scratching his mandible. He wondered where his cigarette had gone. Perhaps he had dropped it at some point.

"Sorry," Chara said softly, holding one arm against their side with the hand of the other. "I didn't mean to drag you along... Please, don't tell Rei..!"

"S'no problem, kiddo," Stretch reassured them, smiling. "Happens to everyone at least once, I think."

Chara looked up at him, a look of surprise and puzzlement and a little disbelief on their face. "Aren't you disgusted? Or at least scared?"

"Why should I be?"

"Because you got kidnapped by a freak of nature and dragged to another dimension?"

Stretch snapped his fingers, closing the distance between them in a blink and gripping Chara's shoulders. "You are _not_ a freak." He said seriously.

They stared into each other's eyes, searching for something neither one of them could name.

"BREAKFAST IS READY!!" Rei called from the kitchen.

Stretch pulled his hands back, stuffing them in his hoodie pockets and rolling his shoulders as he forced himself to look away. Chara averted their own gaze as Rei came back into the livingroom, holding two plates of pancakes, one in each paw. They smelled amazing.

Stretch took the plate he was offered graciously, feeling a bit awkward being served by what looked to be a child to him.

Rei grinned, handing Chara their plate. "Is there anything you like on your pancakes? Butter? Syrup? Chara likes chocolate sauce..."

Stretch smiled. "Honey, if you have it. I can enjoy them plain just as well, though, so don't go to any trouble on my account, kiddo."

"Honey it is! We have plenty!" Rei smiled wider, obviously pleased to be able to oblige. He turned around and skipped back into the kitchen.

Chara smiled after him fondly, picking up a pancake from their plate and munching. Stretch noticed there were little brown spots in them, which were absent in his.

"Chocolate chips..?" Stretch asked, raising an eyebrow ridge.

"Honey?" Chara retorted after swallowing.

"Everyone's got a favorite food." Stretch defended, grinning. "You have a little something..." He pointed to the corner of Chara's mouth, where some melted chocolate had taken residence. Chara licked at it until it was gone. Stretch felt his SOUL flutter, watching. Why was something so silly, so mundane, making him flustered??

Rei came back holding his own plate (which was slathered in syrup), three forks, and a bottle of honey. He scowled at Chara. "Don't eat with your hands! That's rude!"

"Is not," Chara argued childishly, purposefully picking up their second pancake, and stuffing it in their mouth defiantly.

"We have a guest!" Rei insisted, handing Stretch the bottle and a fork without looking away from his sibling.

"He doesn't mind, do you?" Chara asked, ripping off another piece of pancake and indulging.

"I don't mind your _pan_ dering at all, _cake_ that as you will," Stretch responded. " _Fork_ the record, I think it's real _sweet_ that you feel so comfortable around me. Means you're the type to put your _honey_ where your mouth is."

Chara practically choked on their food.

Rei, oblivious to the assault of terrible puns, just sighed. "I guess if he's fine with it, I can't complain..."

Stretch smiled, drenching his pancakes in honey. He stuffed the bottle in his pocket, having nowhere else to put it, and used the fork to dig in. The taste of the sticky sweetness, coupled with the fluff of the pancakes and the bubble of residual fire magic, was fantastic. He closed his eye sockets, an appreciative noise rumbling from his chest cavity.

"Is it good?" Rei asked, almost nervously.

Stretch opened his eyes again quickly, smiling down at the goat monster. "Best I've had in ages." Rei grinned, blushing faintly from the compliment.

The rest of breakfast was quiet. Rei then took the empty plates and returned them to the kitchen, coming back out with set shoulders. "Chara, I'm going to go ahead and start my patrol! I'll see you at our usual spot to play!! Bring your friend! He can play too!"

Chara bristled. "Wait a min-"

"Bye! Have fun!!" With that, Rei was gone, running out the front door.

Chara took a deep breath.

"Sorry," Stretch apologized, shifting his stance to a more relaxed one, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "You don't have to stick around on my account. I can kill time on my own if you'd rather play with your brother." His hands brushed against the bottle of honey. He pulled it out, almost forgetting it was there. After staring at it for a moment, he looked up. "Uh, where should I put this?"

Chara smiled softly. "Keep it. We got more."

Stretch blinked. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't," Chara replied, stretching. "And no offense, but it isn't like I had any intention of letting you run around unsupervised."

"I should probably try to get back..." Stretch thought out loud. He pulled out his phone. With a few clicks, he made a group chat so he could talk to all the others at once.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Me:** Hey. 

Stretch was startled by how quickly everyone piled into the chat.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Comic:** Where are you?!  
>  **Slim:** u alive.  
>  **Red:** dumbass  
>  **Lust:** OMG yur okay!  
>  **Dance:** you hurt? 

Stretch smiled, picturing them all on their phones while standing in the livingroom. Chara came and started trying to read over his shoulder (well, at their height, his arm). He didn't mind. He liked having them close for some reason.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Me:** I'm fine. Just hitched a ride with Chara  
>  **Me:** Turn on the machine. I'll come right back. 

There was a pause in activity.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Dance:** Can't. Red broke it  
>  **Slim:** ur missin a gr8 fight rn lol  
>  **Comic:** can you get the kid to bring you back?  
>  **Me:** i'll ask. try to fix it. any parts i should look out for?  
>  **Red:** surge protector busted  
>  **Dance:** need more wires  & metal & circuit boards  
>  **Lust:** no rush ;) have fun  & use protection 

Stretch closed his phone quickly, clearing his throat as he looked in the opposite direction of the human, feeling his magic color his maxilla.

"S-so, uh... Do you think you could give me a lift back? To the other universe..?" Stretch asked nervously.

"I- uh... I'd be happy to try but... Can you wait a bit? I want to see what kind of run this is first..." Chara sounded almost as nervous as he felt.

Was it warmer in here all of a sudden?

"That's fair!" Stretch said hastily, pulling up his hood. "I'll just tag along until you're ready then... Since you don't want to leave me alone, and all..."

Chara pulled up their own hood, then took hold of his arm. He heard the snap of their fingers, and then they were both standing in the snow. Chara let go quickly and sat down at the nearby sentry station, planting their face on the wood with a groan. Stretch knew the feeling. Looking around, he pulled out the honey bottle he had been allowed to keep and started piecing off of it.

"You drink it straight?" Chara asked.

Stretch jumped. He hadn't expected them to look up so quickly. "Uh, yeah..."

"I never heard of a monster that drank honey straight..." Chara said more to themselves than Stretch.

"Well, I never heard of a human that can do magic," Stretch said, smiling.

"That's not an accident..." Chara muttered.

Stretch's smile fell. He pocketed the honey and came closer. "What's that supposed to mean..?" Chara didn't answer. Stretch scratched at his mandible, thinking. "I suppose it isn't any of my business... Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Sometimes I'm just like a dog with a _bone_ , nyeh heh..."

Chara smiled softly. "Your name is Stretch, right?"

Stretch shrugged. "It's my nickname. My real name is Papyrus, but when there are two other skeletons named Papyrus in the room, it's just easier to have a nickname."

"Papyrus..." Chara didn't sound surprised. "How many other Papyrus's have you met?"

Stretch pulled his hands out of his pockets, counting on his fingers. "Uh... There was Slim, Rus, Suave, Edge..." he shuddered, "...Pink... and that guy..." He shrugged. "So, six."

"Pink? What made you guys call him Pink?" Chara looked like they were about to start laughing.

Stretch blushed a bit, remembering his counterpart. "Uh... He liked to walk around... showing off his abs... And they were pink, so..."

"Wait, abs? Skeletons don't have abs!"

"We can, uh..." Stretch wasn't sure what words to use to describe the phenomena. He held out one hand towards them, and with a little more effort than he cared to admit, generated bright orange ecto-flesh around the tips of his fingers, which slowly creeped down until it covered the entirety of his hand, up to the tips of his radius and ulna. "See? Like this, only Pink made a full abdomen, and his was, well, pink. Bright neon pink, at that."

Chara stared. "I see..." There was a glint of something in their eyes, that gentle red-orange glow returning. Was that a hint of blue? Or purple? It was gone too quickly for Stretch to be certain. He was just happy to see the light return to them.

Stretch let the magic go with a sigh. It took more concentration and effort than he was used to expending. One of the reasons Pink unnerved him so much was because he walked around _all the time_ with a full abdomen manifested, like it was nothing!

Chara coughed, looking away for a moment, a tinge of pink dusting their cheeks, possibly from the cold. "So, you've been to, like, seven other universes, besides mine?"

"Eight actually. We ended up in one where we never met a Papyrus."

"What were the people like there?"

Stretch shrugged. "Nice enough. We ended up in the house of a couple of goat monsters. Very friendly. They gave us tea and pie."

"Goat monsters..?" Chara was interested now, Stretch could tell. "What were they like?"

Stretch smiled. "There were two of them, brother and sister. The girl was a nervous little thing, jumping at the drop of a hat. She had a couple of panic attacks while we were there... I felt kind of bad for her. But she was really understanding about the whole situation, even after The Incident."

"The Incident?"

Stretch shrugged again, pulling out his honey. "I wasn't there, so I can't be certain, but from what Slim said, Red and her brother didn't get along."

"Why did they not get along?"

Stretch forced the memories to stay at the back of his mind. "It's complicated..." He drank hard from the bottle, hiding the memories of red and grey and gold, of crying and screaming and the soft puff of dust, under the sticky sweetness.

"I guess it isn't my business anyway..." Chara said to themselves.

"Curiosity isn't a bad thing, kiddo," Stretch told them. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to know the truth."

Chara looked at him hard. He felt like he was being appraised, examined, judged. After a while, he looked back at them. Their eyes glowed brighter, like candle light, but with a white shimmer. He let himself get lost in them, his body relaxing. It was so easy to trust this human, to just allow them to look into his SOUL. He felt no nervousness, no apprehension. It should have scared him, how calculating, how meticulous, how _knowing_ the look in those eyes was. But it didn't. All he felt was at ease. _Stars,_ were those eyes beautiful!

"Do you know your eyes glow?" Stretch found himself asking.

Chara bristled, pulling their hood down sharply and averting their gaze. "Sorry..!"

Stretch blinked. "Why?"

"I know it's creepy..." Chara said bitterly.

"Who told you that?" Stretch asked, something dark coiling in his SOUL.

"Nobody," Chara admitted, their voice going softer, lower, "but a belt speaks pretty loud..."

"What..?" Stretch felt his insides twist.

Chara looked up, their eyes back to the dull brown he had seen before at the house. "Never mind. It's not important."

Stretch thought it was very much important, and was about to say as much, when there was the distant sound of stone grinding against stone.

Chara stood up. "Can you hide in the trees here? I have to go do my job real quick." With a snap of their fingers, they disappeared.

Stretch took a deep breath, and hid in the high branches of the nearby trees, out of sight.

* * *

Chara sat in the highest branches of the tallest tree next to the path, breathing a little harder than they should have. They needed to keep their composure. They couldn't let the magic show. It would only complicate matters. If Rei ever found out... if Mom ever found out... Chara shuddered at the thought. All the kindness that had been shown them since their Fall would disappear.

_Just as the kindness in Stretch's voice would now._

They caught a glimpse of the human as they walked passed the sturdy branch Chara used as a checkpoint. Reinforcing their legs with magic, Chara jumped. It was always a bit of a rush, this part of the Script. Chara was never certain if they were going to stick the landing, if their magic would be enough, or if they would break their legs. It generally didn't matter either way, but it wasn't like Chara enjoyed pain. It was just something they had become used to. Their feet hit the ground, breaking the branch with a loud crack. _God_ was that satisfying! Chara snapped their fingers quickly, teleporting back to the safety of the high branches, out of sight.

Below, the human looked around, confused as always. But soon they got over their start, and continued forward down the path.

Chara ground their teeth, pushing back the adrenaline and teleporting back to the snowy path, behind the human. _The moment of truth._

"Human." Chara said, in the voice that echoed into itself mysteriously. "Don't you know how to great a new friend?" Chara reached into their pocket, pulling out a few red packets, and held their hand out. "Take my hand."

The human did as they were instructed. The instant their hand gripped Chara's, Chara gripped back, squeezing hard enough to break open the packets between them and send the gelatinous red mush all other their hands and into the snow.

Chara grinned. "Whoever threw out those ketchup packets are missing out big time." They pulled their hand away, wiping it on their pant leg and sticking it back in their pocket. "Greetings th-" Chara stopped themselves. They had almost blown it, almost let on what they knew right at the beginning. They took a second to compose themselves again, pressing back the magic that threatened to leak from their eyes as that terrifying red light.

"Oh hello there pretty mirror!" Chara relaxed. FLIRTing was an easy out. "How did you fall down here without a mark on you? Good thing, it would be a shame to see someone like you hurt." They shifted their stance, keeping that congenial smile going on their face. "My name's Chara. I'm a human too. I know, I'll let it soak in for a second. Shocking, right?"

"How did you get here?" The human asked quietly, the first words they ever spoke to Chara.

Chara grinned wider. "There's more than one hole on this mountain you know." They pushed back all the memories of it, all the dark feelings that made them want to lash out. They pushed it all back and kept on smiling. "But listen, I've been waging a war with my brother, Asriel. Humans and Monsters can be tipped in my favor with a partner! Come on, you'll be great at it." That wasn't a lie. Chara knew damn well how good the kid was.

Escorting them into the clearing near their sentry station, Chara indicated the ugly misshapen lamp they had set up. "Quick, behind that tacky lamp. I have to set the scene of your entrance for him."

The human hid, as they were told. Chara smiled. _So far, so good._

Right on queue, up came Rei (Asriel), as energetic as ever. "There you are human!"

Chara put on their best pouty face. "Tch, you've cornered me again." They knew how much the goat monster loved their game, and it wasn't as fun for them unless Chara played along to the fullest. However, they couldn't maintain it, their genuinely happy smile playing back onto their lips. "You grow more clever every day Rei."

"Yes, of cours-" Rei stopped. "Charaaa!! I told you not to call me that!"

Chara grinned wider, averting their eyes guiltily. "Oops, slipped my mind."

"That's a lie and you know it!"

"Guilty. Once again, the god of hyperdeath outwits me."

"Yes, exactly!" Rei struck a pose, proud and regal. "I am the absolute deity after all, defender of all monsters!" His face fell, showing a little bit of humility. "...in Snowdin. But just for now!" He looked back at Chara again. "Anyway, you're hopeless to defeat me alone!" Chara laughed knowingly. Rei looked at them, faking puzzlement, clearly expecting something. "Uh, yeah, you ARE alone out here, right?"

Chara looked toward the lamp. "Hey, mirror, tell Asriel how wrong he is."

The human came out from their hiding place. Now Rei's surprise was genuine. "What?! H-how did you-!?"

"Alone no longer." Chara said simply.

Rei ran up to Chara, whispering to them excitedly. "This is great! We have to tell the Captain about this!"

"You don't have to call her the Captain." Chara pointed out.

"I do if I want to get into the Royal Guard." Rei backed away from Chara, addressing the human again. "Very well, let me see the power of two humans -" He threw his head back, hands on his hips, grinning with pride. "Against the might of ASRIEL DREEMURR!! Hahaha!!"

With that, Rei ran off to set up his plans.

And Chara was satisfied. This was a run they could let play out.

The human's 12th line was at 0.

* * *

Stretch lounged on his tree branch, eyebrow ridges furrowed. _Asriel Dreemurr_ , huh? 'Dreemurr' wasn't exactly a common name. And the name 'Asriel' was familiar, even though Stretch couldn't put his finger on where he had heard it before.

Was that boy somehow related to Asgore? To Toriel? And what part did he play in this universe?

More troubling, what part did he play in his _own_ universe?

Stretch hardly noticed when the two humans below ended their chat. He didn't notice when Chara took a shortcut to the branch next to his. He did, however, notice when they spoke.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Chara asked, cheerfully.

Stretch jumped. He gripped tight onto the branch, afraid of losing his balance for a moment. Chara snickered, seeing his face go from relaxed and distant to shocked to nervous all in the span of a second. Chara didn't even know skeletons could make faces before. They liked it.

Stretch smiled at them. "Uh, yeah. But let's try it closer to the ground." He snapped his fingers, appearing again next to the sentry station below.

Chara followed him. "So, how exactly do you shortcut to another universe again..?" They asked, not certain how they had done it before. They had just been thinking of going home so hard...

"I guess you were acting on instinct before huh?" Stretch thought out loud. Chara nodded. Stretch took hold of their hand. "Since you've only been there once, I'll bet it'll be difficult." He paused. "If you'd rather not try-"

"No! No, I'll try!" Chara assured him quickly. "This is my fault, anyway... I need to make up for my mistakes." Chara closed their eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking hard about what they remembered about the place they had met Stretch.

The blue carpet.

The smell of italian spices.

The pain in their back.

The smell of human blood.

Chara pooled their DETERMINATION, just like before, making it stronger and stronger and stronger inside them, until they were sure they would break apart from the pressure. They tightened their grip on Stretch's hand, and snapped their fingers.

The crack was louder than usual, just like before.

When Chara opened their eyes, they were indeed in a livingroom with a blue carpet. There was indeed the scent of italian spices and human blood in the air.

But the television was broken, a corner of the screen knocked loose.

And the carpet was dirty, red and black stains spotting it all over.

And the pet rock did not have any sprinkles to eat.

And the lights were dimmed, flickering erratically.

And the air had the faintest heaviness of dust, which sent Chara close to panicking.

"This is not Comic's universe..." Stretch said out loud, his voice soft, his hand squeezing Chara's for support.

Chara had to fight not to cry. They had messed up again. _They had fucked up again!_ They had- They sank to their knees, suddenly dizzy. Their magic was almost entirely spent.

"Chara?!" Stretch exclaimed, worry in his voice as he knelt down to better support their weight. "What's wrong?"

"Magic..." Chara mumbled, their head swimming. They fumbled in their pocket for a chocolate bar, only to realize they had forgotten to grab one from the fridge that morning. The tears did start to flow then. They had gotten themselves, and worse, Stretch, stuck in only god knows what.

And now they both had to suffer the consequences.

* * *

Stretch scooped Chara up into his arms. "Hold on," He said as calmly as possible as he placed them on the beat-up couch, "I'll go see if there is something to eat in the fridge." Chara lay back, eyes fluttering shut, but they made a soft throaty noise of understanding.

Stretch told himself not to panic. The human was just low on magic. That was perfectly reasonable after dragging them both to another universe by sheer force of will. All he needed to do was find some food, and their magic would perk right up.

Although, considering the state of the house, there was a chance that it was abandoned, and as such wouldn't have any food. Still, he had to try. So he went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Inside was a single tupperware container.

Stretch took it, carefully prying the lid open to check if it was edible. It was spaghetti with meatballs. Stretch turned to see if there was a microwave available, but then something caught his eye. He looked back at the food. There were little black strands mixed in with the noodles... and the meatball was staring back at him...

The _eyeball_ was staring back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [SWAP POV HERE XD](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/25480152)
> 
>  
> 
> ~ So yeah there is a noticeable different between the Void post-pacifist route and post-genocide route
> 
> ~ Asriel lets Chara's first 'Rei' slip-up slide because of how upset they were
> 
> ~ Stretch is so glad to finally have some honey again jfc
> 
> ~ Chara doesn't have the best childhood memories  
> ~ and that makes Stretch unreasonably upset
> 
> ~ Chara I don't think you're doing that right- oh no too late
> 
> ~ Yes it takes more than just DETERMINATION to do those shortcuts, it takes magic too.
> 
> LET'S PLAY "GUESS THE NEW AU" >:)
> 
> MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAAA


	37. The First Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Stretch dies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, you all guessed right:  
> Horrortale (By Sour-Apple-Studios on [DeviantArt](http://sour-apple-studios.deviantart.com/) and [tumblr](https://sour-apple-studios.tumblr.com/))
> 
> This is a bit shorter than i wanted, but it's been so long since I updated this story that I wanted it to get up.
> 
> I've been very distracted by [another project](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11416155) here on AO3, and combining that with writers block, this just fell behind.
> 
> THE POV OF THIS CHAPTER IS UP! Link in the End Notes.

Stretch closed the tupperware container as fast as physics would allow him, blocking out the view of the dish that was _looking back at him_. He had to remind his body that it technically could not throw up, even if his magic pooled in his mouth, or quivered and contracted up and down his spine like it was trying to squeeze something out. His hands shook as he shoved it back into the fridge and retreated back to the livingroom. He pulled out his phone.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Me:** Turn on the machine  
>  **Comic:** it's still broken  
>  **Dance:** you find any parts? 

_Shit._ Stretch had forgotten to look for parts. He had been too busy enjoying Chara's company. Too busy thinking of other things. Too lazy. Like always.

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Me:** no 

Stretch closed the phone and tucked it away again. There was no reason to worry the others. He just had to remain calm and not think about the fact that there had been an _eyeball in the spaghetti why was there and eyeball in the spaghetti whose eyeball had that been?!_

"No food, then?" Chara's voice, still weaker than it should be, penetrated Stretch's thoughts. It was more a statement than a question. They had managed to stop crying, drying their face in their jacket sleeve.

"Not one edible thing," Stretch affirmed.

"Just as well. Stealing wold be wrong." Chara took a deep breath, sitting up on their elbows, only to be hit with another dizzy spell and fall backward.

"We need to get out of here..." Stretch came over, scooping Chara up again, carefully. Chara sagged in his arms (they really were exhausted). "We'll just have to wait for you to recover over time..."

"Might be a while... It'd be faster to kill me."

"Don't talk like that!" Stretch admonished. "We'll both get out of this alive."

"Never said we wouldn't..." Chara looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You sure you're alright, partner? You're shaking..."

"I'm fine." Stretch lied. He wasn't certain where they would be safer, but he couldn't stand being in this house, letting _Chara_ be in this house, a moment longer. So he took a shortcut to the outskirts of Snowdin, by the great stone doors.

Chara hid their face in their hands. This was humiliating. They were being carried around by what amounted to a complete stranger, because they had worn themselves out getting them both lost in another dimension. "Can you at least put me down..?" They asked weakly.

"Uh, sure..." Stretch leaned against the stone door, sliding into the off colored snow, setting Chara down next to him. He leaned his head back against the cold stone, looking down the path that stretched out before them. From here he could see all the way to the large branch which had fallen into place on the road. It was solid, unbroken, a single line of brown on a field of white.

Chara slumped into his shoulder, eyes half shut. There was nothing but the sound of the wind for a while, then Chara spoke again. "We didn't have to leave, you know..."

"What?" Stretch asked, looking down at them.

"The house. We didn't have to leave it."

Stretch clawed at the snow under him, biting back the hysteric words that tried to bubble up. "W-what makes you so certain?"

Chara raised a hand, pointing into the air. Their eyes glowing a faint white and gold around the gentle orange-red. "Line 38. It's at 1. That means this run has ended. Either everyone is dead, or they made it to the surface..." They let their hand fall, the white and gold glow fading, leaving only the faint red behind. "One way or another, I doubt anybody was going to come back to that house."

Stretch subconsciously wrapped a protective arm around the human. "Let me tell you something about multiverse theory, kiddo: it means there are infinite possibilities. And trust me, not-"

**_CRACK!_ **

Both human and monster jumped, startled by the sound of frozen wood breaking. Stretch looked up, the words dying in his mouth as he saw the large branch on the path ahead, now snapped clean in half. Distant howls, like rabid, hungry dogs, were carried on the wind.

_Not all of them are good._

* * *

Chara sat there, frozen from more than just the bitter cold raking at their exhausted body. They recognized this scenario. It was a tactic they themselves had employed not 10 minutes ago. Someone was here. Someone was here, despite the Game being over, the Script being completed. It went against everything Chara knew to be true. DETERMINATION and adrenaline surged through them, filling them with energy. They forced themselves to their feet, despite the way their body complained. If the Game was still going, then it needed a Player.

Chara felt their SOUL pulse. Yes, they would fill in nicely.

Maybe it might even get them some answers.

Answers to what, Chara was not certain.

But surely there were answers that were important. Necessary. It was perfectly rational to seek them out.

Chara took the first painful step forward, following along the path. They had never been on this side of the Story before. It was exciting. They barely heard Stretch calling their name, following behind them nervously. Chara was focused on the path. They knew this. They knew what to expect. Okay, maybe they were playing, not out of some sense of necessity, but because they _wanted_ to. They _wanted_ to be the Player for once, to feel that sense of accomplishment, to have a chance of winning, instead of hoping they didn't lose.

Something moved in the trees to one side of the path.

Chara turned with a start. Okay, maybe they didn't know what to expect.

Stretch gripped one of Chara's arms, his right eye glowing a faint orange. "Come back to the door. Best to have our backs covered..." His voice was low and even, but Chara could swear there was a tremor in it. Chara nodded, turning around to follow him back.

Only to see a pair of dark sunken eye sockets staring at them from around Stretch's hip.

Chara screamed involuntarily, jumping back in alarm, yanking Stretch back with them in the process. Stretch, caught completely off guard, stumbled forward, bracing himself on Chara's shoulder with his other hand so he didn't fall flat on his face in the snow.

A deep gruff chuckle echoed off the trees, followed by a familiar voice.

"The old sneakin' up and scarin' 'em shitless trick. It's always funny."

Stretch froze. That had come from behind him. He turned slowly, looking over his shoulder with apprehension. Standing in the snow, inches from where Stretch had been a moment before, was a 'Sans', his hand in the pockets of an old looking, battered jacket that had once been a lovely pale blue, but had since faded to a blue-grey. All his cloths were stained with spots of red in a way that tugged at Stretch's memories. He had a large gaping hole in his skull above his left eye, which glowed a flat, unwavering blood red.

Stretch watched as the 'Sans' took in Stretch's appearance, that glowing eye widening and narrowing and widening again in surprise and confusion when he got a look at his face.

Stretch clutched at Chara's arm tighter as he did a CHECK:

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 8  
> HP 1 / 1  
> AT 10 | EXP: 500  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 300  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 0 | KILLED: 50  
  
The broken Sans grinned sadistically, manically, a grin that showed plainly that he was not all there. "Well, don't we look familiar..." He said, more to himself than anyone else, the three fingers of his right hand coming up to hook into his right socket and pull hard. The act made Stretch wince.

"I think we're busted," Chara said.

The broken Sans's eye snapped to Chara sharply, lighting up brighter. "Oh, yeah. I almost fergot about ya. Yer a human, right? That's _hilarious_." He held out his left hand. "I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton."

"Chara. Greetings." Chara extended their hand and took hold of Sans'. They immediately bristled, their eyes watering as they were assaulted with a terrible, excruciating pain as the flesh of their palm was shredded. They could hear a loud buzzing sound coming from between their hand and Sans'. Chara grit their teeth, refusing to let go. They could tell they wouldn't be able to break the skeleton's grip on their hand anyway, and they didn't want to alarm Stretch.

Chara forced a smile on their face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sans," they said politely.

Sans frowned, his brow ridges furrowing.

Stretch caught the scent of fresh blood, saw the red liquid drip down to the snow, heard the electronic buzz. His eye lights flashed menacingly, darkly, and with startling speed took hold of Sans's arm. " **Let go.** " He said, his own hand squeezing a warning against Sans' bones.

Sans flinched, letting go and backing away, yanking his arm from Stretch's grip and looking at him. "Heh, calm down, it was just a joke. _Get a grip_."

Stretch turned back to Chara. "Are you alright? How bad it is?" There was tension and worry in his voice.

Chara clutched at the wrist of their shredded hand, their fingers twitching with the pain. They quickly pulled their jacket sleeve over it, hiding it so Stretch wouldn't see the extent of the damage. "I'm fine. More shocked than anything." It wasn't worth fretting over after all - they had had much worse.

Sans blinked at them, then started laughing. It began as laughter from genuine amusement, but devolved into the cackling of someone unhinged. Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had begun, and he held out his left hand. With a flash of blue light there was an ax in it. He swung it a few times, adjusting to the heft. "I don't usually have the appetite for this, but..." He started approaching Chara. "...It ain't my appetite I'm sating. Sorry kiddo, but would ya mind joinin' us for dinner?" His voice was amiable, but there was a regretful, morose tinge to it.

Chara gaped at the ax in his hands: it was terrifying, sharp, and cruel, things they had never before associated with monsters. They swallowed, backing up a step.

Stretch stood between them and Sans. "Don't. I don't want to fight you."

Sans narrowed his eye sockets, the red in the left one pulsing once in agitation. "Yer being awfully greedy. But lemme make it clear: 'round here, we share rations." Then there was a pause, and his eye light shrank three sizes, a darkness clouding his features. "Oh, I see. _Yer_ the reason." His smile turned angry. "Did'ja think wearin' that face would let ya get away with it? Think I'd be merciful? **Think again**."

Quick as lightning, Sans swung his weapon at Stretch. Stretch grabbed Chara and jumped back, out of the way, just in time. Sans adjusted his grip on his weapon, glaring death at the both of them. "How _dare_ ya wear my bro's old face, ya greedy fuck. He'd _never_ pull the shit you've been doin'." His smile widened, growing even more malicious. "So why don't I do us both a favor and _lop it off_?!" He swung again, faster, harder.

Stretch jumped back again, pulling Chara with him. There was a stern resolve on his face, his magic manifested in his right eye, his right hand glowing in response to his intentions. "I'm warning you, one more step, and you won't like what happens next..."

Sans laughed. "That's my line... or it was..." He paused, his grin dropping, his empty hand digging into his empty socket. "...wasn't it..?" He shook his head, his focus returning to Stretch and Chara. Then his smile widened, an intelligent glint in his one good eye.

"Look buddy, I gotta family t' feed." Sans lunged, swinging hard. Stretch brought up a bone, knocking the blade out of the way as he moved back. Stretch summoned a few projectile bones, but Sans evaded them with a practiced ease, twirling the ax in his hand as he snickered.

" _Sever_ al, actually." Sans's ax came close again, this time sweeping at Chara, who froze like a dear in the headlights. A monster was actually trying to hurt them. _A monster was actually trying to kill them._ They deserved it, fuck did they deserve it, the filthy useless human they were, but Chara couldn't help feeling... betrayed.

_How could he? How could he destroy the one truth that had given them hope for the world?! How could he-?!_

There was the clash of metal against bone, jarring Chara from their hysterical panic, and they felt their body pulled back hard by the arm. Stretch had summoned another bone to block the swing of the ax, snatching at Chara and pulling them out of the way as he steered them both out of range of the terrifying skeleton monster before them.

"So if you'd just _cut_ me some slack, and gimme the human..." Ax's voice was punctuated by the whizzing of his weapon through the air, again, and again, and again, each time going for Chara's neck. Stretch blocked, again, and again, and again, pushing back against the blow and maneuvering Chara with him.

Chara could tell Stretch was starting to sweat, damp patches growing in the fabric of his hoodie. His hands were shaking, but they doubted it was from the cold. However, Chara was unable to do much but follow his lead. They had never, _ever_ , seen a monster fight another monster. They had never, _ever_ , seen two monsters throw such hostility at each other. They had never, _ever_ seen anything like what they were witnessing...

From anything but **humans**.

It made them physically sick.

Chara could barely stand, they felt so ill.

What could have driven something that was _literally made_ of love, hope, and compassion, to act like _this?!_

"..gimme the human..." Sans said, his voice almost pleasant now, although he swung with just as much ferocity as ever. Stretch jumped back again.

There was a click.

It all happened in slow motion. Stretch froze, looking down at his feet. Chara followed his gaze. There in the snow was a small metal pressure plate, triggered by the presence of Stretch's sneaker. The sound of metal moving against metal broke over the wind.

Then Chara felt their head snap off, bitten clean from their body by the oversized bear trap in which they and Stretch now stood. They saw Stretch's head, along with some of his upper torso, sticking out the top of the device, his mouth hanging open in a silent scream. They watched in mute horror as Stretch crumbled to Dust, his hoody fluttering loosely in the teeth of the device.

And they heard the smug, knowing laugh of Sans, right before he said, "and maybe you'll get out a _head!_ "

Then the world went black.

* * *

Stretch was screaming.

It hurt. It hurt unlike anything he had ever experienced. The only thing that even compared was when he had been pumped with DT all those years ago, when _he_ had- had-

But this was so much worse.

Stretch felt like his body was on fire, his bones splintered and digging into each other like knives. Then it was cold, so very cold, and dark. Then he was being ripped to ever loving pieces, scattered on the wind. Then he was nothing.

And then he was screaming, clutching at his ribs where he could again feel the bite of metal sliding through his bones like they were made of paper. He could again feel his body grow cold, and disintegrate into millions, billions, trillions of particles, reduced to Dust and marrow and a few spare bone chips. He could again feel the sensation of being nothing but a homeless soul, of feeling the culmination of his being explode into uncountable shards, unable to hold together with nothing left to anchor to.

_He relived his terror as he realized he was feeling himself literally being reduced to nothing._

And he screamed, crying, clutching at himself, as though he could physically prevent his own Dusting. He shook, the tears flowing unabated down his face, dripping onto the front of his hoody (and his sleeves, thanks to where his arms were). A line of fire still circled his upper torso, cutting through his ribs and his sternum and his spine. Stretch whimpered, sobbing, his chest heaving erratically as he tried to gulp down air he didn't need because it was soothing and if he was breathing it meant he was alive and _oh stars, he had died, he had been dead, he had been Dust!!_

"Y-you remember..?" Chara's voice whispered, confusion and worry and fear in their voice.

Stretch latched onto it, using the sound to pull himself back to reality, to the present. He took notice of everything, scrambling desperately to register what was going on right then and there, to override the phantom sensation of his own death. He was sitting in the snow, in the cold, his back up against the sturdy stone doors of the Ruins. Before him lay the snowy white expanse of the main road from the Ruins to Snowdin. Just within his line of sight, lay a large branch, now broken in two.

The phantom pain began to subside, and Stretch sucked in a large breath, letting it out slowly. He fumbled with shaking hands for the bottle of Honey, and drank half the bottle before he felt well enough to speak. He sagged into the snow, panting, the sweat that still clung to his bones making him feel cold despite his hoodie.

Stretch looked over at Chara, forcing a smile on his face, although he knew it was weak and less-than-reassuring. "Maybe?" Was all he could think to say.

Chara audibly swallowed. "Nobody's ever remembered about a time before a LOAD before..." they said to themselves. They chuckled, dry and joyless. "First time?" They asked, flippantly, perhaps trying to lighten the mood. Stretch nodded. Chara bit their lip, looking away from him. "Sorry..."

They were silent for a while.

Stretch put his honey back in his pocket.

"On the bright side," Chara said, breaking the silence, "I can get us out of here anytime now."

"What?" Stretch asked, turning his head to face them again.

Chara smiled humorlessly. "I told you, it would have been quicker to kill me." They held out their hand, a cruel looking knife made of red magic materializing in it. "I got this thing... this power... I call it DETERMINATION. It's a human thing... I can use it to... SAVE my state." They focused their eyes on their magical weapon, their face nearly expressionless save for the vibrant red glow of their eyes, which quivered with suppressed emotion. "And, if something goes wrong... like, if I die, for example, I can LOAD that old state... and not be dead anymore." They bit their lip. "As soon as I LOAD myself, I'm always at full HP and full magic, even if I wasn't when I SAVEd..."

Stretch looked at the knife, then at Chara's face. "So you're feeling better?"

Chara laughed. "I tell you I can _cheat death_ , and the first thing out of your mouth is a question towards my well being?! _You experienced your own death_ , and the next thing you do is wonder if _I'm_ alright?!"

"You died too, though," Stretch reminded them.

"So? I'm used to it. You're not." Chara flipped the knife in their hand absently, catching the blade between their fingers, then flipping it over to catch the hilt.

"You're used to it." Stretch parroted, feeling something cold coil inside them.

"Yup." Chara wasn't looking at them. "When something happens to you enough, you just stop being affected by it." They stared sightlessly in front of them. "It'll never stop hurting, but you learn to get over it faster..."

Stretch balled his hands into fists. This was just one more thing he had known nothing about. He hadn't even bothered to ask anyone about it. He just assumed-! _How many times?! How many times had that terror, that pain, been thrust upon someone he now cared for?!_ How many times had Comic died?! How many times had Dance?! What about-

"How many times?" Stretch asked.

Chara stopped playing with their knife, letting it dissipate into the air. They were silent, and Stretch began to think maybe he had been out of place in asking, then...

"I dunno. Over a hundred? I lost count after 50, and that was at least 20 RUNs ago..." Chara's voice was wistful. "Maybe more... I don't bother to count anymore..."

Stretch felt his magic drain out of him. _Over a hundred?!_ This poor creature had had to suffer through _that_... _over a hundred times?!?!_ Stretch snapped his arms out, encircling Chara in them and pulling them into his lap. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered, his voice trembling like his SOUL. "I'm so... so... sorry..."

Chara bristled, one of their hands digging into the fabric of his hoodie. They shook, a light tremor giving away how shaken they were even as they barked a laugh. "Monsters... It isn't even your fault... and you still insist on..." They relaxed into his arms, huffing a sigh.

Stretch felt a strange harmonization, his SOUL beating in time with the pounding he felt under his hands, in Chara's skin. His chest felt warm underneath were the human's hand was braced. He closed his eyes, focusing on that frequency his SOUL was pulsing to. It was soothing, calming the last of his frayed nerves.

Then he let go, and stood up, pulling Chara up with him a little ways from the door. "Shall we go then?"

"Hell no!" Chara said, sounding appalled at the meer suggestion. "There is something seriously wrong here!! We can't just _leave!_ "

"Thats actually a very _good_ reason to leave," Stretch argued.

"Not for me, it isn't," Chara retorted, then stopped. They took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll take you back first. I can come here again later..."

"Oh, no!" Stretch pulled his hand away. "If you want to investigate so bad, do it now, while I'm here!"

"Why? I thought you wanted-"

"I _do_ want to go, but I don't like the idea of you- of you being alone in a place like- like-"

"Like this?" Came San's voice from behind them.

Both Stretch and Chara jumped, turning around. Sans stood in the small space between them and the stone doors, grinning smugly, his red eye fixed on them both. Stretch gripped Chara arm and pulled them back, further away from Sans.

Sans snickered, his grin widening as he rolled his shoulders, hands stuffed in his pockets lazily. "The old sneakin' up and scarin' 'em shitless trick."

Sans' grin turned manic. " _It's **always** funny._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did the summary scare you? hee hee hee
> 
> ~ Horror!Sans's ax gives +10 ATK. Just FYI since Stretch's check occurred prior to him equipping it
> 
> ~ See how Horror!Sans has a kill count of 50? But thats higher than, say, Red or Slim's, who have a higher LV? Its cuz not every kill gives the same amount of EXP. And Horror!Sans has been killing nothing but humans. LV 1 humans, who have been malnourished. Who give like 10 EXP a pop.
> 
> ~ Horror!Sans is a clever little shit, purposefully maneuvering Stretch and Chara into that trap as he attacked.
> 
> ~ I noticed a pattern.... Lust's SOUL pounded in rhythm with Red's in chapter 19... Tori and Dance had a moment in 32... now Stretch and Chara..?  
> Is there a second meaning to the title of this story??  
> JFC I just wanted an angsty multiverse adventure with puns (and a little low key death), and look at it now, a fucking spiderweb of romance and salt with foreshadowing of shit i didn't even know about until 15 chapters later... how did this happen?!
> 
>  
> 
> **POV OF THIS CHAPTER == > [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/27254475)**


	38. The Second Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chara somehow gets their way, even though Stretch doesn't like it.  
> Also there are (not) Frisbees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Horrortale is not being nice to my creativity (it refuses to let me write it in a timely fashion).
> 
> Or maybe I'm just bad at multitasking. XD
> 
> Still we are that much closer to the scene I want so badly to write.
> 
> I should probably also write the POV for this time-frame for the rest of the guys. You're probably as curious whats going on back with them as I am. XD

Stretch all but froze, once more face to face with the monster that bore the name Sans. He again felt a burning pain, phantom reminders of what happens when you interacted with this version of his loving brother. It took him a moment to register what he was actually seeing. Sans just smiled at him, the fingers of his right hand creeping into his lightless right socket and again giving three good tugs.

Then Stretch's instincts kicked in, and he ran, dragging Chara with him. He ran through the snow, as fast as his legs would carry him. For the first time he wished he had taken his brother up on those early morning jogs he had suggested. Stretch might have actually been in shape to handle this situation if he had. But no. He was too stars damned lazy, and now he was going to die, again and again and again.

"Stretch-! Slow down!!" Chara pleaded. " _Calm_ down!!"

Stretch looked back at the human, their face wasn't laced with panic. Their eyes, glowing dimly, were filled with concern. Stretch stumbled to a halt, letting go of the human and panting as he braced himself on his knees with both hands. His SOUL was still pulsing rapidly, magic circulating through him like the monster equivalent of adrenaline. He felt Chara place a hand on his back.

"Maybe I should take you back after all..." The human muttered to themselves.

Stretch gulped down the gelid air, not caring how it bit at the inside of his ribs or made the scars from his death ache. "So you've given up on whatever you're trying to do here?"

Chara clenched their jaw as they stepped back again. Their expression was one of denial, rebellion.

Stretch chuckled as he straightened his posture back into his usual comfortable slouch. "Didn't think so."

"Why do you insist on staying with me?" Chara demanded to know, crossing their arms. "You're clearly not cut out for.. for this sort of thing. You'd be better off going home, right?"

Stretch looked them over, trying to think of the words that would explain how he was feeling. "I'm... tired of leaving people alone. How am I supposed to live with myself if... if I let ya go galavanting around in a dangerous place like this, and do nothing?" He eyed their surroundings. They were a few feet away from the bridge, which he had barely noticed the first time they had come this far. " _Snow_ deeper meaning than that."

Chara snorted at the pun, but a smile pulled at their face. "So you're just a good person. That's a boring answer."

"Thats me, boring and lazy," Stretch responded with a shrug.

"And it has nothing to do with me at all?" Chara asked, their voice questioning in a way Stretch found suspicious.

"W-why would it..?"

"No reason." Chara's voice went back to it's neutral passiveness.

"Feelin' better?" Sans' voice chimed in. Stretch turned sharply. Sans was there, a few feet away, standing in the snow. The broken monster smiled wickedly. "Ya got a real set of lungs on ya, you know that?"

"Whats it to you?" Stretch asked, inching closer to Chara.

Sans shrugged. "Not much. Just means we have to do it the hard way."

Chara's brows furrowed, their eyes no longer glowing, now reduced back to their dull brown. "Do what the hard w-"

"SANS!!" Called a familiar loud voice from the direction of Snowdin. "SANS?!?!"

Stretch looked back behind them, across the bridge. In the distance he could just make out an approaching figure.

Sans chuckled. "Thats my brother, Papyrus." In less than a blink, Sans was beside Chara, griping their arm. "Better hide, kiddo." He dragged them roughly across the bridge, and threw them behind a gross green cadaver hanging from a tree. Stretch took a shortcut to crouch in the higher branches of that tree, looking down at the human. Chara stood perfectly still, hiding their best behind the conveniently shaped corpse. Stretch ground his teeth, wondering why they were playing along to Sans' ridiculous game, but kept his mouth shut. He was going to trust that the human knew what they were doing.

And if they didn't, he was going to have some choice words for them afterwards.

* * *

Chara had to cover their mouth and nose to block the smell of the corpse. It smelled horrid, especially considering the cold weather should have slowed decomposition. That probably meant it was rather old, months at least. The thought didn't help Chara in the least as they focused on fighting the urge to vomit. This was a morbid and somewhat terrifying bastardization of their own game of hide-and-don't-seek, but Chara felt certain they had to play along if they were going to understand. What it was they were going to understand, they weren't certain, but they knew it was important.

_They hoped it was important._

Chara heard the voice of 'Papyrus' get closer and closer, until...

"Sup bro." Sans said, his tone completely different from before. He almost sounded happy.

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP', BROTHER!" Papyrus sounded less than happy. "IT'S BEEN 7 YEARS AND YOU _STILL_ HAVENT-"

"There's a human hiding behind that body," Sans interrupted nonchalantly.

Chara stiffened. Well, in all fairness, they should have seen this coming. They revealed the human's presence too, if in a less blunt manner.

"WHHHAT?! REALLY!?!" Papyrus's irritation vanished in an instant, replaced with boundless excitement.

"Yup. Better go check it out." The way Sans spoke so casually, with a hint of amusement, reminded Chara of how their mother spoke to Rei at Giftmas about opening his presents. Chara wasn't sure they liked the idea of being someone's Giftmas present, so they snapped their fingers, taking a shortcut to the spot behind Sans. From their new vantage point, Chara could see Papyrus saunter over to their former hiding place.

"HUMAN!!!!" Papyrus's familiar, loud voice shouted as they rounded the cadaver. He stopped, and a groan escaped him. "SANS!! YOU LIED TO ME!!!"

Sans stiffened. "Huh?"

"THERE IS NO HU-" Papyrus turned around, clearly intent on chastising his brother, but he stopped. "HUMAN!!!" He ran at Chara, and by proximity, Sans, diving over the shorter skeleton, who ducked and skidded out of the way, in order to snatch hold of Chara. Chara skipped back and to one side, grinning tightly. They were close enough now to really see what this Papyrus looked like. He was tall. Incredibly tall. As tall as their father, if not taller (and Asgore was big even by monster standards). Furthermore, there was something wrong with his face. His teeth were discolored, yellow gradating into a rusty red, like he had bitten into something to stain them. But even worse, his teeth were broken, chipped, and mangled, as though he had been continuously beaten until the bones had permanently shifted out of place.

As they spun once again out of reach of Papyrus's arms, Chara felt their heart, their SOUL, break a little. Sans had been bad enough, but who could do something so cruel to _Papyrus_?! They couldn't help staring at the monster that so very much resembled the one who had given them HOPE so long ago, eyes widened with shock and horror even as their near permanent smile stayed in place.

"Uh, nice to meet you. Papyrus was it?" Chara ducked under Papyrus's next attempt at a grab, and used their much smaller body to slide between his long legs and get behind him. "I'm Chara. Greetings."

"WHY GREETINGS TO YOU TOO, HUMAN!!" Papyrus paused in his attempts, grinning. "HOW NICE TO MEET A HUMAN WITH MANNERS!!" He held out his hand.

Chara looked at it, chuckling. "Is that you greeting a new pal, or a jape to try and capture me?"

Papyrus bristled, his magical eyes bulging in shock. "CUNNING HUMAN!" Papyrus shouted, pointing at Chara accusatorially. "SEEING THROUGH MY JAPE AS IF IT WERE NOTHING!!! "

"Sweet deduction skills, bro. 'Might be wiser to, uh, skip the puzzles... and take 'm straight to #5." Sans' voice was starting to strain now.

"TOO RISKY!!! WE WILL PREPARE AS USUAL!" Papyrus said definitively. "DO YOU HEAR ME, BROTHER!?!?"

"God yes," Sans said with exasperation. "Ya don't need to shout, I'm like 2 feet away from y-"

" _MANAGE YOUR STATIONS!!!!!_ " Papyrus shouted even louder. Both Chara and Sans flinched in pain at that one. "HURRY SANS!" Papyrus turned almost gracefully on the balls of his feet, and took off back towards Snowdin proper (probably to get in position for the first puzzle). "WE MUST PREPARE BEFORE THEY CAN ESCAPE!!!"

"Ehh. Fine." Sans sighed, shifting his jaw irritably. He gave Chara a pained, world-weary look, his grin strained with irritation. "Nice job giving me more work, human." He walked off (in the wrong direction) grumbling under his breath.

Chara chuckled at him. _It looks like the game was back underway._

* * *

Stretch held his position hidden in the tree until both of the other monsters were gone. Then he took a shortcut to Chara's back. "That was risky, kiddo."

Chara turned, smiling, their eyes that dull lightless brown but still seeming to sparkle. "Thank you for staying back."

Stretch sighed. "You're crazy for doing this. Crazy..." He looked away. "And if I think for even one moment you need help, I'll-"

"You'll have my back," Chara finished for him. "But you don't have to. Just hang back and let me handle this. I know what I'm doing, Stretch."

Stretch looked back at them. "No. You don't." He sighed, rubbing his nasal ridge and wishing he had a cigarette. "But neither do I..." He pulled out his honey bottle and drank some to take the edge off his anxiety. Chara watched him. He wiped a bit of the sticky substance off the outside of his teeth, pocketing the bottle that was dangerously low by his standards. "Even if you can just RESET, or LOAD, or whatever ya wanna call it... Don't be reckless."

Chara smiled, the briefest flash of red light leaving their eyes. "Sure thing, Stretch. You just make sure you don't get into trouble."

Stretch chuckled, looking at them one last time before taking a shortcut back into the trees. He watched Chara make their way forward, shadowing them in the branches, out of sight. Chara had a point. For whatever reason, they were managing to survive longer with Stretch not involved. Perhaps it had something to do with the Script the guys were always talking about. Stretch wasn't certain. He didn't like that uncertainty. The last time he had been this uncertain had been in Red's universe, after all... And look where his decisions had gotten them then.

All the same, he watched from his vantage point as Chara came up to the place... where he (where _they_ ) had died. Again, he felt that phantom burning pain, just looking at the spot in the snow he knew those cruel metal jaws were hidden. He rubbed his chest, trying to will the memory of that pain away. It didn't do much good. He doubted very much that he would ever get used to it.

He doubted very much that he wanted to.

Stretch took one more shortcut, getting as close to the area as possible without being seen. Chara was only a step away from the bear trap, facing down a seemingly benign pathway, on the other side of which stood Sans and Papyrus. Sans was asleep on his feet (reminding Stretch a little of Red), but Papyrus remained animated and energetic. One hand on his hip, he pointed across the walkway at Chara with his other hand. His voice came crystal clear, even over the howl of the inexplicable wind that blew through the underground. "NOW IT BEGINS! HUMAN! I CHALLENGE YOU TO CROSS THIS SPACE USING THIS MAGIC ORB!" He produced a sizable blue stone, almost perfectly round, and tossed it into Chara's hands.

Stretch watched as Chara caught the orb, but then proceeded to fumble it.

"WE WILL SEE HOW CLEVER YOU REAL-" Papyrus continued, only to be cut off by a loud CLANG. Chara had 'dropped' the orb, sending it rolling into the snow... and over the pressure plate hidden beneath, triggering the bear trap while leaving Chara safely out of reach. Sans and Papyrus both jumped at the sound, neither prepared for it (perhaps not so soon?). Stretch grit his teeth, shoulders shaking. He knew the situation shouldn't be funny, but the looks on Sans and Papyrus' faces were _priceless_.

"...Told ya you shoulda handed it to them before hand," Sans remarked, seemingly finding the humor in the situation himself.

"HOW HARD IS IT TO CATCH A BALL?!?!" Papyrus sighed with exasperation. "HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO CATCH THEIR FRISBEES IF THEY CAN'T EVEN CATCH A BALL?!?!"

"What frisbees?" Sans asked, looking up at his brother with one eyebrow ridge raised.

"THE FRISBEES THAT THE HUMAN GETS FOR- OH!! THATS RIGHT HUMAN!!" papyrus turned back towards Chara, whom Stretch could see was barely containing their own laughter. "EVEN THOUGH YOUR CLUMSINESS HAS RUINED THIS MOST WELL CRAFTED PUZZLE, YOU STILL GET TWO WHOLE FRISBEES!!"

"He means 'freebies'," Sans corrected, leering up at Papyrus. "There are five puzzles and two freebies. If you want to skip a puzzle, hold up the number of freebies you have and we'll give ya a hand." He demonstrated, holding up two phalanges with a sly wink that Stretch did not like.

"I STILL DON'T SEE WHERE YOU EXPECT ME TO GET TWO WHOLE FRISBEES FROM, BROTHER!!" Papyrus complained. "YOU JUST LIKE MAKING ME WORK HARDER, DON'T YOU?!"

"No, paps, it's _free-bees._ Ya know, clues? Because you were complainin' about nobody reaching the fifth puzzle?"

"WHAT DO SHOES HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!"

"No. _Clues_."

"NO CLUES? BUT WE AGREED THAT TWO WOULD BE FAIR FOR THE HUMAN!!!"

"Paps, for fucks sake, not again," Sans groaned.

"HOW ELSE WILL THEY POSSIBLY MAKE IT THROUGH MY MOST AMAZING AND CLEVER PUZZLES TO APPRECIATE MY GRAND FINALE?!?!"

"If it's that confusing, let's just forget about the puzzles and kill them!!"

"BUT THEN HOW WILL WE PASS THE TIME?!?!"

Stretch could see Sans pinch the bridge of his nasal cavity, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as he took a calming breath. "We agreed on two. Two clues. Okay?"

"BUT THEN HOW MANY FRISBEES?"

" _ **There are no goddamn frisbees!!!!**_ "

"BUT-"

Chara's laughter broke through the air, stopping the conversation dead in its tracks. They doubled over, hugging their middle, shaking as their giggles and sniggering erupted from them. Stretch was glad for it, because he couldn't hold back his own laughter anymore either. He covered his mouth with one hand, clutching at his hoodie with the other. He shook so hard he lost his balance and fell out of the tree, landing safely in a deep snow pile below. He kept his jaws shut, muffing his own hysterics so he wouldn't draw attention from the other monsters. A part of him wondered if there was a point in trying to silence himself, given the nature of Chara's laughter, loud and clear and infectious.

"SEE WHAT YOU DID SANS!! YOU BROKE THE HUMAN!!" Papyrus's shrill complaints pierced through every other noise.

"Lets just move on, please?" Sans practically begged.

"VERY WELL!! COME ALONG HUMAN!! IF YOU CAN!!" Papyrus must have taken off running, because his voice receded into the distance.

By the time Stretch had pulled himself together, Chara's laughter had died away. He pushed himself out of his snow poff, looking out from the treeline. He could just make out the silhouette of the human in the distance.

He had better catch up.

* * *

Chara's sides still ached a little as they approached the next puzzle. They quickly wiped the tears that had pooled in their eyes on their jacket sleeve, not wanting them to freeze in the cold. Smiling almost genuinely, they continued forward. The monsters here were a little rough, but they could tell now -- there was still that part inside them that made them monsters, there was still hope, still compassion, still mercy. Why else would they have given them _(pffft) frisbees?!?!_

After some walking, passing by a snowman who was half melted, Chara came upon the skeleton brothers again, now standing on the other side of a discolored strip of snow. Chara looked down at it, alarm bells playing out in their head. They knew the cultural significance of the color _blue_ to monsters, so seeing _blue snow_ was somewhat alarming.

"AND SO IT BEGINS AGAIN!!" Papyrus sad proudly, pointing at them again. "HUMAN! I CHALLENGE YOU TO CROSS THIS EMPTY SPACE OF SNOW!" He smiled knowingly, a too-innocent tinge taking hold of his voice. "HOW HARD CAN THAT BE?"

Chara raised an eyebrow. Even if they didn't have a sinking suspicion about what the trick of this puzzle was, that last comment would have tipped them off that there was indeed a trap. Although perhaps they were simply so used to hearing that voice, and knew the little tells, which strangers would probably never catch. Not that that was Chara's fault.

The question now, of course, was how to approach the problem.

Chara closed their eyes, hugging themselves as they focused on STAYING DETERMINED. They felt a surge of what felt like a million ideas and thoughts and information, felt the Code bend to their indomitable will. They saw the black abyss, the void, in their minds eye, saw the options presented before them. They SAVED. Taking a deep breath, they opened their eyes again, careful to keep the warmth of their magic tightly reigned in. They could not, would not, let anyone know if they could help it.

_Even if it didn't bother Stretch, it was still something that scared plenty of monsters._

Chara shook their head. No, stop thinking about _that_. Focus on the puzzle.

They took a tentative step forward into the discolored snow.

Their foot immediately started sinking, the lack of balance sending them sprawling forward into the blue that seemed as sticky as it was cold.

Chara sighed inwardly. _Great. Called it._

"Down here we have a very _special snow_ ," Sans's voice drifted to them as they struggled to get their face up for air. "If you see _blue snow_ , don't walk on it and it won't hurt you." Chara rolled their eyes, even as their body started pumping adrenaline in response to the life threatening situation they now found themselves in. Despite their struggling (or perhaps because of it), they found themselves drawn steadily downward into the blue snow, consumed by a pervasive chill that made the Snowdin wind seem pleasantly warm by comparison.

"Here's an easy way to keep it in mind," Sans continued, to Chara's annoyance. "Imagine a stop sign."

"I _know_ ," Chara growled, growing more irritated as their struggles proved futile. They were already sunk down to their waist, having struggled violently to right themselves enough to keep their head above the surface as long as possible. The snow was clinging to their limbs like tar, making it impossible to raise their hands. _Which of course meant that calling for a 'Freebie' was impossible. This must be why they specified the use of hand signals as the means by which to invoke them. Clever._

"When you see a stop sign, you _STOP_ , right?" Sans kept going, either not hearing Chara or ignoring their words. "Stop signs are _red_ , so imagine a _blue_ stop sign instead."

"I- k-k-know how BLUE m-magic w-works..." Chara growled again, weaker this time as their teeth chattered with the cold.

"So remember, when walking..." Sans's voice flitted to them as Chara's vision went dark, and their head was submerged in the icy grip of the blue snow, "think about _blue stop signs_."

Chara thought of golden LOAD signs and red DETERMINATION instead.

* * *

Chara had to admit, as they clung to themselves, that _that_ had been an adventure. They had never died so slowly before. In all honesty they weren't sure what had actually gotten to them first, the cold or the lack of air. Either way, it was one of the more unpleasant, and quite frankly terrifying, deaths that they had had the displeasure of experiencing. Chara carefully patted themselves over, easing themselves out of their post-death stupor as they eyed the skeletons across the expanse of blue snow.

_Now, how to avoid that outcome..._

Chara bit their lip, thinking. They looked to either side of the blue snow. There _was_ room for them to walk around... Worth a shot. They rolled their shoulders and made their way around the blue snow, careful to not step in it.

Then, with a loud SHINK, bones erupted from the ground on all sides of Chara except one. Chara instinctually jumped back, years of training with any number of monsters (and _humans_ ) conditioning their body to escape from even the slightest ill intent, muscle memory naturally sending them in the direction with the least amount of malice made manifest...

...Which happened to be into the blue snow.

Chara realized their mistake a second too late. They spun midair so they would land on their rear, mentally preparing for the fear inducing sensation of sinking into the hungry snow pit. They felt themselves hit the surface of the gross blue slush, and they did begin to sink...

However, after a few inches, they made contact with something _warm_ , warm and stable and unyielding beneath them, stopping their progression downward. Chara blinked, feeling the warm surface underneath the cold blue slime, rubbing their hands along it not only in an attempt to identify the object, but to keep their hands from freezing. It was smooth and hard, like stone, but warm, with a gentle thrumming making it quiver under them. Chara might have described it as a purr, if not for the tingling feeling of restrained magic that kept wafting off of it. _A bone construct?_ If so, it was a pretty big bone.

"THEY AREN'T SINKING!!!" Papyrus shouted in shock and awe. "WOWWIE!! I NEVER SAW A HUMAN NOT SINK BEFORE!! DO YOU THINK MAYBE THE SNOW IS BROKEN, BROTHER??"

Sans ground his teeth, tugging at his darkened socket again irritably. "Maybe... or maybe..." His blood red gaze shifted from Chara and into the trees. Chara followed his gaze with their own. There, in the higher branches, was the briefest flash of color, which would have been brushed off as imagination if Chara hadn't already known that there was someone in an orange hoodie lurking about.

Chara smiled. _Well, Sans cheated first. This was just evening the playing field._ Chara had no doubts that those had been Sans' bones that had sent them into fight-or-flight. With no small amount of effort (and a little magic), Chara pushed themselves back to their feet, careful to keep their balance on the structure below them. Then, with a great deal of magic reinforcing their legs, Chara jumped out of the blue snow and back onto the stable white snow. They briskly brushed off the azure gunk as best they could from their cloths, making themselves look bored and only slightly put out as they calmed their frantic heartbeat. After they were certain they were free of both blue snow and panic fueled by self-preservation, Chara stood upright and marched proudly around the blue snow to stand alongside the skeleton brothers.

"AMAZING!!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID IT, BUT AMAZING!! AND YOU STILL HAVE TWO WHOLE FRIZBIES!!" He looked at Sans with excitement sparkling in his eye sockets. "THIS HUMAN IS INFINITELY MORE FUN THAN THE OTHERS!!!"

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, bro," Sans said softly, thoughtfully, as he leered at Chara. Chara smirked. Poor guy was stuck between being happy his brother was having fun, and pissed that Chara wasn't dead (again) yet.

"I MUST SAY, HUMAN!! YOU ARE DOING SO WELL!!" Papyrus beamed down at Chara. Chara couldn't help but beam back. Despite his looks and his attempts to kill them, Chara found themselves warming up to the oversized monster. "I THINK YOU MIGHT JUST MAKE IT TO THE FINAL PUZZLE! FINALLY!!!"

Chara shrugged, stuffing their hands in their jacket pockets. "What can I say? Puzzles are a family tradition." They couldn't help feeling triumphant, even as they felt the judgmental gaze of the shorter skeleton creep over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Note that Papyrus said it had been '7 years' since Sans had recalibrated his puzzles. That means this takes place a year before Aliza shows up. Now we know kinda where (and, uh, when) we are.
> 
> ~ Also note that Aliza had three 'frisbees' when she arrived. But it looks like they haven't upped the number yet. Chara is apparently playing hard mode.
> 
> ~ Stretch isn't a fan of drowning humans in snow
> 
> ~ Horrortale!Sans isn't a fan of dirty cheaters.
> 
> [ALT POV HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/30560133)


	39. The Third Horror and Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chara does... something very Chara-like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *queue guitar rift*  
>  _I'M ALIVE~ I'M ALIVE~ OH YEAH!_  
>  And so is this shitty ass fanfic!
> 
> I know this is a few hundred words shorter than my preferred average, but I like where it ended and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer.
> 
> My hiatus was long as fuck, and even though I'm still fighting writers block, I'm here and I'm happy to say i plan on finishing this monster crack fic.
> 
> And since I apparently forgot to let you all know that I have a tumblr.  
> *cough*  
> [I HAVE A TUMBLR](https://kamari333.tumblr.com) so come bug me if you are so inclined. I love answering questions and shit. Also you can ask me about how my stuff is going. Send me fic recs or fanart or just tell me to 'get gud n00b'.

Chara could not seem to focus on what Papyrus was saying, something about 'HOW SKINNY THEY ARE' and needing to 'REGAIN THEIR STAMINA'. Sans might have said something about an 'unfair advantage' before his taller brother ran off, presumably to 'MAKE THEM A MEAL'. Chara, however, was more preoccupied with the crazy swirl of conflicting intent wafering off of Sans. His one red eye bore into them knowingly, accusingly, and it made Chara anxious.

As soon as Papyrus was gone, Sans made his move. "I guess you think you're pretty smart," he said a little too evenly, disappearing from Chara's sight only to reappear behind them and grip them around the neck. "heck, maybe you are. I'm not challenging that. But what I _am_ challenging," he growled, tightening his grip, "is just _how the hell_ you pulled off _that little stunt_ back there." Chara went still, clutching weakly at his long spindly phalanges (not because they couldn't grip tighter, but because they didn't want to). The manic anger in his voice was even more terrifying than the trials so far. " _But ya wanna know what I think?_ " his voice got deeper, and Chara felt something cold, buzzing with hot energy and biting like a knife into the soft cartilage behind their ear.

" _I think you're nothing but a **dirty cheater!**_ "

Chara saw a flash of orange in the trees to their left. Then Stretch was at their side, gripping Sans' wrist and stopping him from chopping Chara's ear off completely. "Pot meet kettle. You cheated first."

"And what," Sans snapped, fixing his single blood red eye on the intervening skeleton, "makes you say that?"

"You scared Chara into jumping into that blue slush. They were solving the 'puzzle' by going around it, since the only other solutions were to fly, or be taller than the slush was deep. The puzzle was designed to be unsolvable, which makes it not a puzzle so much as a trap." Stretch tried to stay calm. He honestly just wanted to get the human out of here.

Sans blinked, then laughed. He laughed hard, dropping both Chara and his weapon. Stretch let him go.

Chara clutched at their cut ear, feeling the sticky damp on their skin as they bled from the wound.

Watching the madman laughing, Stretch again wished he had a cigarette. He knew he would feel guilty about it later (he had been cutting back for his brother's sake, and he had been doing so well too before this all started), but if he had the option he would be smoking right now for just the slightest release of stress.

When Sans calmed down enough to speak, he put his hands in his pockets. "O-ok, h _ear_ me out. I might have overreacted. So I'll make it up to you with some friendly advice."

Chara turned around to look Sans dead on, wondering what it was that was making them itch to learn more. They had never been a particularly stupid person. And even Chara was starting to see just how stupid it was to keep interacting with people who were as unstable as this. But something in their SOUL was telling them to keep moving, to keep looking. Because there was something _wrong_ that they could make _right_ and they had to do it. It was important.

"They say my bro has the 'human touch'," said the broken skeleton. Stretch went still, the sickening discovery from his search in this universe's kitchen flashing through his mind, threatening to make him sick as Sans continued with his warning. "Better not eat his spaghetti, kids. Drop by the sentry station, I'll make ya a nice tasty hotdog instead."

Then there was a loud noise, a howl, terrifyingly close and loud.

A flash of fear crossed Sans' face, and then he was gone, vanished without sound or trace.

Not that it mattered, because Chara instinctually knew that whatever that was, they did not want to meet it at the moment. The human grabbed onto Stretch and pulled him through a shortcut to the next station, away from the creature that had scared away Sans.

Sans was there, settling at his seat. His sockets widened in surprise, his eye light flickering in mild alarm, then his grin widened. "Uh huh, so ya ain't a interested in being a humanitarian?"

Stretch didn't think that joke was funny, but Chara laughed. "Nope. never have been!" the human chuckled.

"Yeah, me neither," Sans admitted, reaching under the station counter. "So, about that 'dog... come get it."

Chara approached the sentry station without hesitation.

Sans grabbed their arm with his right hand. "Sorry to say, seems we're all out of hotdogs. Actually, we've been out of hotdogs for years. Hotcats too. And just about everything else for that matter."

Chara and Stretch both froze at those words, the cerebral horror of the implications, coupled with what they had seen and heard so far, was enough to drive home exactly what kind of world they had stumbled into.

Sans, either unaware of the duo's epiphany, or not caring, continued. "But don't worry, I got a solution..."

Then Sans' left hand rose up from under the counter, his axe shining with the buzz of his erratic magic, his single red eyelight pulsing fast enough to warrant concern for a seizure. " **One head-dog, comin' up!** "

Faster than either Stretch or Chara could react, the axe came down. Bone sharper and stronger than steel bit into human flesh, carding through sinew and muscle and bone of a much more fragile variety. Blood arched into the air in a perverse display of color, splattering the snow and steaming as the hot liquid made contact with the cold.

Sans' arm was now extended fully across his chest, his manic grin wider, his gaze not leaving Chara's until the color and life left them, and the human's vision went black.

Stretch stood there, watching in horror. He saw the contrasting colors on the axe blade, the red of human blood and yellow of marrow, loud against the blue and white of Sans' magic. He saw the way the human's head seemed to wobble in place, like a glass of water on a table after the sheet had been ripped off from under it. He saw how the blood continued to flow forth, a grotesque mockery of a water fountain, dripping down from the cut (such a small, unsuitable word for the cleaving wound which bisected the human's neck) and staining Chara's clothes.

He saw as the blood-flow finally made the weight of Chara's head unstable. He saw the way their brunette locks fluttered in the icy wind (which swept away the last remnants of their warmth), then arched and waved as the skull to which they were attached fell to one side, landing with a sickening thump on the bloody counter.

He saw when, as though the sound had been a signal, the human's legs gave out, and like a marionette with its strings cut, the body fell. It fell forward first, bounced off the side of the counter, then fell backwards, splaying limbs in the snow like a cheep rag doll.

Then all Stretch saw was white.

* * *

Chara stood in the snow, clutching at their throat and swallowing to calm down. 

But it was not the decapitation that had Chara stunned.

_It was Sans' words._

The human was not stupid. Their SOUL had been screaming at them since they got here that something was terribly, horribly wrong, that something here demanded to be corrected. They had been compelled to keep going forward, despite all signs pointing to that being a bad idea. Now, however, DETERMINATION swelled inside them, right alongside abject horror and pity and agonizing frustration.

These monsters were _starving_. Driven _mad_ by it. Driven to the point of eating humans to survive.

Chara shook the ringing from their ears, and dashed forward. Right before their foot made contact with the BLUE snow, they shortcut to the spot behind the skeleton brothers, using the momentum from before their shortcut to start into a run.

They heard Sans' and Papyrus' gasp in surprise behind them, but they didn't stop to see what was going on with them. They just kept on running for Snowdin, shortcutting over greater and greater distances until they reached the welcome sign at the outskirts of town. They thought they might have heard the crunch of snow under someone else's feet behind them, but the human wasn't paying that much attention.

They had a mission.

The human only slowed down when they reached the front of Grillby's, squinting up at the building and frowning. The warm, friendly atmosphere they knew and loved from home was... missing. The building itself was in decent shape, although the wear and tear from years of limited resources for upkeep had left noticeable scars behind. The door appeared to have taken significant abuse, and the windows were boarded up, preventing them from seeing inside.

There was a swishing noise behind them, then the clash of magic against magic. Chara turned to see the orange of Stretch's hoodie, his form shaking under the stress of a force Chara couldn't see from this angle. There was a grunt, and a growl, and then Sans' ax was in the snow to one side, and Stretch had swung at the crazed skeleton, making him jump back, again and again as Stretch pressed forward in what appeared to be a desperate attack. Sans himself looked almost amused, hands returned to his pockets as he lazily dodged from one side to the other.

Chara snatched the ax out of the snow, a stupid plan in their head as they kicked in the door of the grill. Although the human did not hear the soft jingle of the bell which in their universe would alert the establishment to a new arrival, what little chatter there had been came to an abrupt halt.

The bartender turned to see who had come in.

Chara choked on a noise, one which they couldn't be sure would have been a gasp or a sob, at the sight of what might have once been the spitting image of their good friend, Grillby. The fire elemental, which should have been burning a rich, warm orange, flames flickering and dancing out and around his well kept and perfectly tailored suit, was dull and pale. The flames looked desperate, and more red shifted, like embers that had lost their heat but still stubbornly ate away at the last bit of fuel at the bottom of the fireplace. But what truly had Chara's SOUL thrashing and swelling with violent, gut wrenching emotions was his face. It looked like the magic that held the elemental's basic form was melting, oozing like sick magma or melted candle wax. The process had misshapen his face, making it near impossible for his bent glasses to stay in place, revealing his wide, pained eyes. Worse of all, though, was how his jaw was unhinged wide open, stuck in a perpetual silent scream.

Chara's grip on the handle of Sans' axe tightened. They marched up to the bar, ignoring the hungry stares from the many patrons that were gathered there. The human swung one leg up, laying the axe by their foot on the bar. Then they yanked their green hoodie off and tied one sleeve tightly around the highest point of their thigh that they could, tightening it until they could feel the bloodflow cutting off.

They were filled with DETERMINATION.

Stretch rushed into the bar, gripping Chara's shoulder. "What are you doing, we need to get out of here, this is exactly where he wants you!" The skeleton's voice was low and steady, and if it weren't for the slightly too tight grip on their shoulder Chara might have missed the thin undercurrent of panic in it.

Chara smirked. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

"No, I don't think you do," Stretch retorted.

"Giving up already?" Sans called from the doorway. "Gonna join us all for lunch?"

"Nah, turns out I have to get going now," Chara called back. "But I'll be back, ok? And in the meantime, how about I give you something to remember me by?"

And before anyone even knew what was happening, Chara snatched the axe back up and, with their red human magic burning more power into their arm, swung it down, biting through their own flesh and bone just an inch below where their hoodie now acted as a makeshift tourniquet.

Chara didnt see the shock on everyone's faces. They didn't see how Sans' grin fell to the floor or the other patrons' eyes sparked with hunger as their blood dripped onto the already bloody rosewood floor. Chara only saw that they had successfully severed their limb. That done, they dropped the axe, grabbed Stretch's arm, and with their still supercharged DETERMINATION, shortcut back to their own universe.

Leaving behind their leg and a bar full of very confused, but very hungry monsters.

* * *

Stretch is reeling. The scent of blood and the adrenaline rush of trying to fend off that psycho axe murderer alternate of his brother was making him dizzy. Or it could have been that he stopped breathing and his magic was stagnating inside him. It felt just like when Red had dusted those dogs in Slim's universe, making him feel distant and hollow and not-all-there.

 _Shock._ He's in _shock._

Chara let go of the skeleton, collapsing backwards against their own Snowdin sentry station, sliding onto the snow with a pant and a soft whimper. The human looked down at the ragged stump of their leg, smiling, watching as their meager remaining lifeblood drained out alarmingly quickly into the pristine white snow, staining it, and their green jacket, crimson. 

They just hoped their body would hold out until they gathered enough DETERMINATION to LOAD.

Stretch finally pulled himself together enough to take in the scene before him.

"What- what did you DO?!" he finally managed to croak out, looming over the collapsed human.

"Nothing," Chara answered, a smile playing on their face.

"You're bleeding everywhere!!" Stretch half yelled, half groaned, his voice creeping into 'big brother mode'.

"'Tis but a scratch," Chara replied, adding a slight british accent.

"A scratch?! Your _leg_ is _off!_ "

"No it isn't."

"Well, what's that then?!" Stretch gestured.

Chara smiled, eyes burning bright with both amusement and DETERMINATION. "I've had worse."

"That's not even the p-" Stretch was cut off as the world stuttered, only to find himself alone, a few feet away from where he had been standing, in the snow by Chara's sentry station.

The snow was pristine, unmarred by the jarring red of blood.

* * *

Chara awoke back in their bedroom, just as they had earlier that day. _Wow, it hadn't even been a full day._ They knew that the (other) human would probably be annoyed with them, but Chara didn't have much of an option. Besides, chances were they were going to be pissy about something or other anyway.

The human sat up, reaching down to pat both of their perfectly intact legs. Just to be on the safe side, they CHECKed themselves:

> **Line 001:** Chara | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 002:** 1 | _// LV_  
> **Line 003:** 20 | _// Current HP_  
> **Line 004:** 20 | _// Max HP_  
> **Line 005:** 11 | _// Attack (-10)_  
> **Line 006:** 0 | _// Weapon ATK_  
> **Line 007:** 11 | _// DEF (-10)_  
> **Line 008:** 0 | _// Armor DEF_  
> **Line 010:** 0 | _// EXP_  
> **Line 011:** 0 | _// GOLD_  
> **Line 012:** 0 | _// Kills_  
> **Line 036:** 666 | _// Fun_  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 116:** 0 | _// Has Umbrella_  
> **Line 550:** [storyshift_001017, horrortale_09F5B4] | _// ???_  
  
Chara paused. There was a new line of data in their save file! An array? The human stared at the shimmer before their eyes, the data made manifest in quantifiable expressions only they seemed to be able to see. They didn't know for certain what that new data set actually was... But they were going to find out.

In the meantime, they had a monster to assist.

Chara pulled themself out of bed, remembering this time to raid their secret chocolate stash. They filled both their phone-accessible dimension boxes and their jacket pockets to the brim, then went and had a pleasant breakfast with Rei.

Chara was even nice enough to grab a bottle of honey before heading out to their sentry station, knowing they would probably need something to pacify the poor skeleton monster they had scared with their shenanigans.

Stretch was just where Chara had left him, pacing in the snow with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

Stretch, predictably, zoned in on Chara as soon as he saw them. "What were you thinking?!"

Chara shrugged, offering the honey to him. "Nothing, really."

"So you _chopped your leg off_ for nothing??"

"Maybe?" The human rolled their faintly glowing eyes. "It doesn't really matter in the end, right? Besides, it doesn't change a thing."

Stretch stared at Chara for a long moment. "You really think that, don't ya?"

They held each others gaze for a long moment, before Stretch popped the top off the honey bottle and took a long drink.

Chara took the opportunity to CHECK him, looking to see if he had that same new data line:

> **Line 001:** Papyrus | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 002:** 1 | _// LV_  
> **Line 003:** 1 | _// Current HP_  
> **Line 004:** 1 | _// Max HP_  
> **Line 005:** 11 | _// Attack (-10)_  
> **Line 006:** 0 | _// Weapon ATK_  
> **Line 007:** 11 | _// DEF (-10)_  
> **Line 008:** 0 | _// Armor DEF_  
> **Line 010:** 0 | _// EXP_  
> **Line 011:** 0 | _// GOLD_  
> **Line 012:** 0 | _// Kills_  
> **Line 036:** 25 | _// Fun_  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 116:** 0 | _// Has Umbrella_  
> **Line 550:** [underswap_D206C1, undertale_FC3059, storyshift_001017, horrortale_09F5B4] | _// ???_  
  
Chara furrowed their brow. The skeleton shared values with them? And those trailing numbers... hexadecimal integers?

Stretch felt the piercing gaze of Chara's CHECK. He didn't flinch (yes, he felt vulnerable, exposed, under those eyes he was certain blazed with light, but for some reason it didn't bother him as much as it probably should have). The skeleton finished taking his drink, then recapped the bottle calmly, stowing it away in his hoodie pocket. "Okay... clearly there was an issue with your aim before," he started.

Chara was thankful for the change of discussion. "Yeah. Sorry, partner."

"Accidents happen. Not the first time, unfortunately. Anyway..." Stretch thumbed the honey bottle in his pocket absently. "We could try doing it together."

"What?"

Stretch rolled his stiff shoulders. "Its how the guys and I've been getting around since, uh, since we met. We basically hold hands, shortcut at the same time, but we all keep out minds blank on the destination except one, the designated driver. If you power the shortcut and let me drive, I bet I could get the two of us back to Comic's place."

Chara immediately reached out, grasping Stretch's elbow. "Ready when you are, then."

"On the count of three," the skeleton agreed.

* * *

When Stretch and Chara arrived, the first thing Stretch did was look for the Machine, checking to be certain he had managed to direct them back to Comic's safely. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he saw the oversized metal contraption, what appeared to be Dance's rear end sticking out of one of the panels as he tinkered with the inside.

The first thing Chara looked for was the bloodstain they knew they had left on the carpet. They had to look rather hard to see it, as someone ( ~~Rus, with Red's help~~ ) had cleaned it up rather well. The human smiled, relieved to see their hypothesis proved correct: that which was left behind when they jumped between universes was not affected by a RESET in another.

Both of them were shocked from their musings by a loud, relieved exclamation: "LAZY ME!!" Rus exclaimed from his spot by the couch. He bounded forward, scooping Stretch into his arms and lifting him off his feet, spinning around. Stretch was reminded that Rus had nearly half a head on him in terms of height, and a hand in terms of shoulder width.

"Yeah, its good to see you too," Stretch weezed, starting to get dizzy. Rus realized he might have been a bit overenthusiastic, and with a soft apologetic noise, set Stretch gently back on his feet.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the others in the room.

Dance pulled himself out of the machine to look Stretch over, his shoulders drooping into something relaxed and easy as his grin became soft. Slim, who had been on the other side of the machine, peaked around it and focused on Stretch, before taking a drag from his half gone smoke and smiling.

Comic, who was sitting beside Frisk on the couch, gave Stretch a big smile and a thumbs up. Frisk, at his side, was a tad pale and looked like they had been wrung out like a dish rag. They blinked up at Stretch, smiled softly, then slumped back into the couch, head bowed forward and leaning a bit more on Comic than anything else.

Lust, who was wearing Red's signature leather coat, was sitting on the staircase. He was texting someone, a relieved smile on his face as he kept looking up at Stretch. A few moments later, Red shortcut into the room, phone in hand. He snapped it shut, stuffing it back into the pocket of his shorts, giving Stretch an unreadable look before leaning against the wall by Lust, his arms crossed.

Stretch could feel all of them CHECKing him. As annoying as the invasive delving into his SOUL was, he couldn't help feeling... happy. Happy that these guys had worried about him enough to need the reassurance a CHECK gave that he was okay. "So what did I miss?"

Turns out he missed a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ holy shit CHARA WHAT THE FUCK  
> DO NOT DO THAT  
> WE DO NOT CHOP OFF OUT OWN LEGS AND LEAVE THEM FOR HUNGRY MONSTERS TO EAT  
> BAD HUMAN  
> WE DO NOT DO THAT  
> Chara: "i just did, so fuck you"
> 
> * (The opportunity to parody Monty Python fills you with DETERMINATION)
> 
> ~ oh look at that, a new line of data. and look at those array values. _I wonder what those could be?_ :3c
> 
> ~ remember _way_ back in chapter 11-12 when Frisk did a RESET, going back to the Ruins? did you think they didn't SAVE? Did you think Chara's human didn't save while THEY were in the ruins?
> 
> ~ RESETs and LOADs are a hell of a lot smoother when there is SAVE data for you, isn't it? ;D
> 
> ~ If you've been reading part 2 of this series, you know all about what Stretch has missed.


	40. Feelings and Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a fight almost breaks out, and Rus makes everything better.  
> Also there is oatmeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe its already march.  
> Welp, take this shitty filler chapter.

Chara settled on the floor next to the TV, watching and listening quietly as the skeletons shared their stories with each other. Stretch kept his summary of the events that occurred after Chara's panic-induced fuck-up simple and low key, skimming over the human-eating and starvation-driven madness with the overly simple label of 'inhospitable'. Judging from the silence and tense expressions, the others understood (even if they didn't know the details). Comic, Slim, and Red looked like they wanted to ask more, to get the full story, but were willing to let it go for now.

In the meantime, Chara busied themself by CHECKing the other monsters, curious about that newly discoverer data line.

Comic...

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Rus...

> **Line 001:** Papyrus | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Red...

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [underfell_CF94C3, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Lust...

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [underlust_000434, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Slim...

> **Line 001:** Papyrus | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [swapfell_E17B2E, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Dance...

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [dancetale_001A19, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
The human (Frisk) did not have a line 550. Comic and Rus only had a single value... and their value was present in everyone else's array as well..?

Slim began recounting the groups epiphany regarding the link between DETERMINATION and shortcuts. He and Dance bounced back and forth between each other, explaining how they gathered a sample from Frisk and used it to try and recalibrate the machine to boost DT signals along with magic signals. That seemed to explain why Frisk looked like they got into a fight with a steamroller, although that didn't explain the slight tension between Comic and Dance (at least not to Chara).

It certainly made sense to Stretch though.

Chara was only paying marginal attention to the explanation (something about frequencies), as they thought about their own discovery. They had a few theories about what it could be... And to test those theories...

They SAVEd, then they CHECKed themselves.

> **Line 001:** Chara | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [storyshift_001017, horrortale_09F5B4, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Frisk shot ramrod straight at the strange sensation of feeling somebody else SAVE their data. The human looked at Chara with wide eyed shock. Chara barely paid them any mind, their eyes focused on the middle distance, looking at the data with glowing red eyes that sparkled with gold and white.

_These were SAVE FILES. These were UNIVERSES._

Chara was dazed and awed by the implications of their discovery, missing most of the conversation regarding the machine entirely. The next thing they were aware of was Stretch saying, "So what all is left to repair?"

"Alphys let us take apart a few older machines," Comic replied, "so now, theoretically, everything is functioning again. But we haven't tested the new DT amplifier Dance rigged up..."

"Because th' fuckin' things too dangerous," Red interjected. He had been growing increasingly more irritated the more he heard about what the others had done while he wasn't looking. "We can't just go an' boost fuckin' DETERMINATION across th' fuckin' board on a multiversal scale! It would cause mass genocide! Monsters in every universe would melt, an' humans would go crazy from excessive DT levels!"

Dance snorted. "Thats why I'm trying to program a failsafe system. Make it so only the magic frequency of a shortcut will activate the DT amplifier, and only amplify the source of that frequency."

"Which is actually coming along easier than expected," Slim observed, going back to the panel he had been tinkering with before Stretch and Chara had returned. "Almost ready for a test drive, I think."

"If you assholes fuck this shit up, there ain't gonna be a beta test," Red growled.

"If you're so worried why not get off your ass and help out?" Dance shot back.

"Because," Red sneered. "When yer shitty ass programming gets us all killed, my last words are gonna me 'i toldja so.'"

"Vindictive lush."

"Conceited prig."

"Quite the vocabulary, for a bruiser."

"Quite th' ego, fer a failure."

The two skeletons glared at each other from across the room, the tension between them palpable. Stretch stepped between them, arms out. "Enough. We need a solution and this is it. Unless you have a better idea, Red?"

Red scowled, his eyelight flickering to Lust for a brief moment before he looked Stretch in the face again. "Use th' human."

Stretch bristled. "What?"

Red pointed at Chara. "We use th' human. They give us th' DT t' make it home, then go back wherever th' fuck they came from."

Everyone looked at Red like he had grown a second head.

"That's... not a solution..." Lust breathed.

"Yeah, it is," Red hissed. "Gets us all home, an' nobody gets melted."

Slim bit down on his cigarette, looking off to one side. "He's got a point..." He didn't look like it was something he wanted to admit.

"Thats a one-way trip, asshole," Dance growled.

"Yeah. So?" Red crossed his arms. "Ya gonna tell me riskin' th' lives of literally every livin' SOUL in th' goddamn multiverse is worth havin' a shortcut t' a place we weren't never meant t' go??"

Dance glared at him. "This is more that just about going to other universes for its own sake," he said coldly.

"Stop thinkin' with yer metaphorical dick, ya goddamn furry!" Red snapped. "Bein' alone's better than bein' dead!"

"And isn't that just you're _fucking_ motto?!" Dance snapped right back, waving the pliers he had in his one hand. "Not all of us are so keen on martyrdom."

"It ain't fuckin' martyrdom! It's common goddamn sense!" Red stalked into the middle of the room, claws upturned and curled menacingly in a gesture of frustration and aggression (which he probably would have avoided had he been wearing his coat by utilizing the pockets). Crimson magic sparked between the tips of his claws, mirroring the flickering of his eyelight.

Dance threw the pliers to the floor, stalking forward to meet Red head on, fists clenched at his sides and hackles raised. "So what, all of this work was for nothing?! All that we've been through was for _nothing?!_ "

The two monsters again stood facing each other, the scene a far more serious parody of their usual verbal clashes. Azure and crimson light flashed in the air around them as a low bass beat began to rumble.

"Ain't th' first time there weren't no point t' th' shit we've done! Don't act like futility's new t' ya!" Red growled.

"Not this time!" Dance hissed. "I refuse to give up this time!"

"So you'd rather everyone melt!" Red denounced.

"If we do this right-"

"Yer gonna gamble everyone's lives on an 'if'?!"

Dance fell silent, seething with cold indignation. He knew Red was right.

"Ya know," Comic said quietly. "Maybe we can still make this work? Isn't there something else besides DT and Magic that has an affect on our shortcuts?"

"And what would that be?" Lust asked, sounding far too hopeful.

"LOVE," Slim and Comic said at the same time.

Stretch flinched. "We are NOT killing people just to-"

"Nah," Slim waved him off. "But we could use a frequency similar ta LV ta boost the effectiveness of the DT... without actually raising anyone's DT levels."

Dance hissed in irritation, going back to work on the part that he had been waist deep in earlier. "One of you guys do the math for that while I get this thing tuned."

Red and Slim sat down together to hash it out (being the two with a better understanding of LV). Comic threw out a few helpful points, mostly observations and arguments for or against whatever the two disagreed on, from his position at Frisk's side. Rus decided he would be more useful in the kitchen, whipping up something to help keep his brothers' energy up, and carefully picked his way into the next room. Lust, for his part, decided he would be more useful staying out of the way

Stretch groaned. "But this is still going to be a temporary solution," he lamented, rubbing his nasal bridge. "unless we can get the machine somewhere safe..."

"But where would that be?" Lust asked, hugging the leather jacket tighter around himself, trying to keep calm. The heavy scent of smoke, leather, and mustard was helping. "Every universe we've been to so far is either plagued by RESETs, or an equally dangerous beast."

Chara pulled out a chocolate bar, needing comfort food. "So, wouldn't the solution be to find somewhere new?"

Comic shook his head. "Kid, I dunno what you think the multiverse is, but it certainly isn't safe. There are literally infinite possibilities. Not the kinda place you wanna go poking around blindly."

"You're telling me you can build a machine to push you through the fabric of space-time, but you can't build a scanner to look at the stats for a universe?" Chara deadpanned, right before taking a bite out of their chocolate.

"Universes have stats?" Was the intelligent reply.

Chara shrugged. "Either that or I'm hallucinating. It's a coin-flip really."

"So you can read the stats of the universe," Stretched asked, in awe.

"Yeah. What, you can't?" Chara thought about it. "Maybe its a human thing..?"

"What info can you get from it?" Comic asked, intrigued.

Chara shrugged. "Not much, honestly? Just whether or not the barrier has been broken and how long its been since the human fell."

"You mean, how long one of those RUNs have been?" Stretch tried to clarify.

Chara shook their head. "No. I mean it keeps track of how long it's been since the human fell into the underground, ever." They nibbled on their chocolate a bit. "Well, it stops counting out a day after the barrier breaks... for some reason. But it starts right up again if there's a RESET. Its all in seconds, mind, but its something."

Everyone else paused in their work or their thoughts to take this information in.

"So if we can boost your range to read another universe, you can tell us if its safe or not?" Comic asked.

Chara nodded, absently CHECKing the universe data for the world they were in now.

> **Line 000:** undertale_FC3059 | _// ???_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 549:** 77673600 | _// Time (seconds)_  
  
The human squinted at the bottom line. That was... that was a _long_ time. They weren't the greatest at math, but even they knew that there were only 30 million or so seconds in a year! And they had thought that _they_ had been fighting the human for a long time!

"Chara? Chara??" Stretch's voice came a bit louder, a bit closer.

Chara snapped out of their daze, looking up at him. "Yeah?"

"Would you be willing to help us? With this?" Stretch gestured. "Help us find a safe place to put the machine?"

Chara smiled, nodding. After all, it was all they had ever wanted, to help monsters.

* * *

Red and Slim settled on a frequency that should, by all rights, affect DETERMINATION. They were guiding Dance through the calibration process when Rus returned with another round of spaghetti, and all work ceased for dinner. It was, as always, indescribable. Chara was none the wiser, and bit into the food without thinking twice, only to need every ounce of DETERMINATION to not gag and vomit. Frisk, being weak, made the excuse that they needed lighter foods while they recovered, and stuck to tea and chisps.

Chara watched in horror as everyone else managed to choke down the horrid meal, except Lust, who had his dish stolen and devoured by Red. Rus was none the wiser to this development, or if he was, pretended not to be.

Rus was, however, adamant that his brothers take the rest of the night to relax. As he saw it, they had all had long, stressful days of actual work, and while he was proud of them (especially Comic), he knew they were not as great as he was, and needed to recuperate after such admirable performances. So he suggested strongly that they all have a movie night, digging out the spare blankets and pillows and turning the livingroom from an engineering workshop to a pillow fort in a matter of minutes. The whole floor between the TV and the couch was covered in fluffy padded comforters, and the border of the area, including the bottom of the couch, was packed with pillows.

Comic and Frisk (who where used to Rus' occasional demand for family bonding) had secured themselves a corner of the fort, backs against the pillow buffer against the couch, saving a spot between them for Rus to occupy. Comic kept looking to the human anxiously, fingers twitching into blankets beneath. Frisk was starting to perk up, and scooted to the middle spot, knowing Rus would not mind switching positions with them. Comic didn't mind either, leaning a bit closer as he passed them another mug of tea.

Stretch and Dance, who had similar experiences with their own brothers, had hunkered down nearby. Dance was closer to the TV, stretched out in the middle of the floor on his front, supported by a pillow under his chin. His arms were curled around and beneath the pillow, holding his phone in his line of sight as he quietly texted someone, a goofy smile and faint blush on his face. Stretch was next to Comic, back to the couch, legs extended fully in front of him, arms over his head and tucked behind, the personification of his namesake.

Chara considered leaving, going home and just returning in the morning to assist as needed... but Rus was particularly persuasive (or perhaps they were particularly susceptible to the whims of papyri), as they found themselves tucked under a fluffy yellow blanket next to Stretch, a mug of hot chocolate in their hands. They side eyed the already relaxed skeleton to their right, fighting down an obnoxious smile and demanding their heart to stop pounding as they sipped at their drink.

Lust had positioned himself next to Dance, more towards the middle of the room, still bundled up in Red's coat. He had curled himself as small as he could manage, doing his best to fit as much of himself in the oversized leather garment as possible.

Red and Slim tried to sneak out to the shed (emphasis on tried). Getting to the shed was never difficult (not with their shortcuts), but staying? That was the hard part. And it was hard because every time he noticed they had disappeared, Rus marched out to the shed and dragged them back, exclaiming, "THE MOVIE AND FAMILIAL BONDING IS IN THE PILLOW FORT!! DO NOT WORRY BROTHERS! I WILL ASSIST YOU IN FINDING YOUR LOST WAY BACK!"

After the third time they got themselves 'lost', and subsequently 'found', the two gave up and submitted to Rus's whims. Slim flopped onto the couch proper, sprawling out on his side. He would have taken the floor, but that seemed to be prime real-estate at the moment, and he preferred to leave that to the others.

That left Red to find a spot out in the open. He settled with his back to the stairs, leaning on the small pillow fence that outlined the cushioned 'fort' floor. He pointedly didn't look at anyone in the room, focusing on the television screen even though the movie playing was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Rus happily settled next to Frisk, sighing contentedly as he looked around the room at his extended family. He wished that he could have shared this with the other brothers he knew he had, the ones he had yet to meet, as well as Edge. He observed that it was a little cramped with just the nine of them, and silently added 'big roomy house' to the list of things he wanted when he reached the surface.

As the movie continued to play, Frisk dozed off, slumping to one side and leaning into Comic, resting their head on his shoulder. Comic naturally brought his arm around their shoulders, leaning back into them as the lids of his sockets fluttered shut. Rus pretended he didn't notice, although there was a more genuine joviality to his smile. Stretch side eyed the two knowingly, but said nothing.

By the end of the movie, Stretch and Dance had both dropped off as well, Dance still clutching his phone tight as he snuggled the pillow beneath him. Chara, Red, Lust, Slim, and Rus were still up and alert (somewhat), so Rus put in a second movie.

Chara started nodding off next, pulling their hood up and snuggling deeper into the yellow blanket. Slim waited until the human's breathing slowed, and a soft snore could be heard from them, before he gently nudged them to one side. Chara slumped over, ending up sprawled on Stretch's chest. They made a soft noise of confusion, before snuggling closer and huffing, indignant about being made to adjust to get comfortable. The jostling dislodged Stretch's arms, one of which then fell gracefully over the human's back.

An hour in, Red began to nod off. He kept jolting to awareness every few seconds, only to drift back into a haze. Lust yawned, making a show of getting tired, before going limp and rolling to one side, snuggling right into Red. Red bristled, fully alert for a moment, before he felt Lust's soft, gentle purring, a steady vibration even through the thick padding of his leather coat. He relaxed, scoffing at the ridiculousness of the whole situation, before he started dozing off again. When he once more slipped into unconsciousness, he stayed there, comfortable and content.

Lust smirked triumphantly from the safety of his stolen coat, nuzzling closer as he shot Slim a wink.

Slim snickered, shooting Rus a grateful grin before he let himself doze off.

Lust wasn't far behind, feeling comfortable and safe.

Leaving a very smug, self satisfied Rus to finish the movie before flipping the television off for the night and going to spend the rest of it in his own room.

* * *

The morning was filled with companionable silence. Rus picked his way to the kitchen to whip up breakfast.

Red and Slim came to awareness at the return of his presence, but neither one bothered to look or move.

Slim didn't see the point in getting up yet, selfishly deciding to spoil himself with that few extra minutes of sleep while he could, surrounded by ~~friends~~ non-threats. He rolled over, putting his back to the room as he hid from the light and sound of early morning in the back cushions of the couch, a vague thought drifting through his head that he had adapted far too quickly to being in a peaceful universe.

Red drifted to consciousness, fighting down that embarrassing itch in his chest cavity, the one that demanded to be released in the form of noise. Rus walking around him almost made him flinch, but Lust's weight on his chest grounded him, reminding him that he was relatively safe. The rhythmic vibrations still coming from Lust were hypnotic, and Red drifted right back to sleep with a disgruntled huff, steadied by warmth.

Frisk stirred at the noise of Rus moving about in the kitchen, even though the energetic skeleton was being rather quiet. There was only the soft clack of something settling on the stove and the click of the dial turning up the heat. The human blinked, in a warm, comfortable daze as the world came into focus around them. They realized with a start that they had somehow ended up snuggling a skeleton, their head tucked under Comic's chin as he snored away quietly. Frisk blushed, the arm around their middle feeling heavier, more real, just by knowing who it belonged to.

Chara groaned softly, smelling the telltale signs of food, but was too comfortable to want to untangle themself from whatever they were using as a pillow. It smelled like honey and an organic musk they didn't know the name of. It reminded them of the smell of their little garden plants before they flowered. It was soothing. The human only contemplated looking around when they felt something card through their thick hair. When they looked up, and found they had been nestled against Stretch, and it was his fingers now combing the bedhead out of their hair, they found themselves oddly confused. On the one hand, they were 110% comfortable with this situation, closing their eyes and settling back down to just enjoy the sleepy, aimless affection. On the other, they had known this guy for no more than a day, and it was weird to be so comfortable with someone so soon, wasn't it? That wasn't supposed to happen, right? Even with monsters? Chara decided they didn't honestly care.

Comic, Stretch, and Dance only woke up when Rus came back in, passing out bowls of oatmeal as he lamented, "I AM VERY SORRY, EVERYONE! BUT! IT SEEMS AS THOUGH WE HAVE RUN OUT OF SPAGHETTI, AND SO BREAKFAST MUST CONSIST OF THIS LOVELY OATMEAL, WHICH I HAVE NO PREFERENCE TO WHATSOEVER, AND WAS NOT HIDING A STASH OF FOR PERSONAL REASONS."

Both humans quickly disentangled themselves from their respective skeletons before either one of them became aware of their situation.

Comic blinked and yawned, rubbing a bit of inexplicable drool from his mouth. "I didn't even know we had any more oatmeal, bro..." he mumbled, blinking moisture from his sockets as he took the bowl offered him gratefully.

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T," was Rus' patient and cheerful reply.

Stretch took the bowl, pulling out his honey bottle and drenching his meal with it. Slim eyed the bottle thoughtfully, tapping his counterpart's shoulder and pointing, a silent request to share. Stretch smiled, offering what was left to his companion. Slim didn't use as much, as honey wasn't his addiction, but it was a welcome boost to the sugar content of his meal and he appreciated that.

Chara was understandably hesitant to try this new concoction, given their painfully recent education on Rus' culinary skills. However, they couldn't say no to Rus (it seemed like nobody could), so they bit the bullet and swallowed a spoonful.

...It was actually not bad. A little mushy, but not bad.

Dance accepted his offering gratefully, draining it straight from the bowl as he tipped it back, before using a spoon to gather the remnants at the bottom.

Lust rolled off of Red reluctantly, shucking off Red's coat to free his arms to eat with the same enthusiasm as everyone else.

Red took his bowl, looking down at it and inspecting it thoroughly. The pale grains were speckled with bright spots of color, each one in the shape of what looked like a bullet, or perhaps an egg. He leered irritably at the little sugar pieces, before setting the bowl to one side and reaching into the pocket of his coat, still pooled around Lust's waist at his side. He rummaged until he found the half empty carton of cigarettes he had scavenged, then shortcut to the shed for an early morning smoke.

Stretch, Slim, and Lust all paused, surprised Red would leave without eating. Then Slim grinned, and, using a bit of BLUE magic, stole Red's bowl and drained it with a happy trill.

"That was mean," Stretch chastised.

Slim shrugged. "It's dunk or get dunked on. He knows the rules."

Stretch smiled. Although the implications could be just as vicious, those words left a lot more room for leniency than _KILL or BE KILLED_. And the fact that it was Slim, arguably the most blunt and honest monster among them, who had said them, made it that much more meaningful.

In the kitchen, Rus smiled. This was a pretty great start to what he hoped would be a pretty great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ So Chara figured out what Line 550 is: its a line for data saying what Universe you have save data for. you only get the line if you have been to another universe, and you only get a new value in the array if you have had your data saved in a new universe.  
> Funny how, even though Underfell Flowey saved while the group was in underfell, only Red has Underfell save data, right? welp, apparently you need a certain amount of determination to save brand new character data, and UF!Flowey didn't have it. he can load and save over existing character data, but he can't save new stuff.
> 
> ~ FOR FUCKS SAKE, GOD DAMN IT Red why you gotta throw logic in my face and try to ruin my self indulgent happy ending?!  
> ...oh thank fuck there is a solution
> 
> ~ rus, you beautiful gift you, giving me an excuse to write fluffy gratuitous cuddles. it gives me life. thank you.
> 
> ~ nobody say anything about rus' oatmeal addiction. he didn't build that sink so tall just to hide a metric fuckton of oatmeal in the false back. no. thats lies and slander. it was for bone attacks. that makes much more sense.
> 
> ~ for those of you who are curious, that number means Frisk has been RESETing in the underground for a whopping 2 years, 5 months, and 15 days  
> They have been 16 for 2 years, 5 months, and 15 days  
> Does that make them 18?  
> Who knows


	41. Autonomy, Start?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys is curious, Chara is angsty, Dance is salty, and both Red and Slim do their own thing because they are too cool for rules.
> 
> Also something starts working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short chapter but here have it  
> take it.  
> take my garbage
> 
>  
> 
> ~~its chapter 41 and i'm finally breaking down and giving this an Explicit rating like i probably should have thirty chapters ago~~

While Dance, Red, and Slim worked on the machine, Chara was taken to Alphys' lab by Stretch and Comic. Rus left to pick his training back up with Justice. Lust stayed behind to look after Frisk, who Comic was certain needed more rest before walking around.

Chara wasn't quite certain why they were taking them to see Alphys, of all people, until they arrived at the Hotland lab. Seeing the timid lizard here in a lab coat, typing away at a console with such focus and enthusiasm, was rather jarring. Chara wondered if they would ever get over the culture shock of alternate realities.

"Heya Alph," Comic greeted his friend after they shortcut into the lab behind the lizard.

Alphys jumped in fright, spinning in her swivvel chair away from the monitor with a startled shriek. " _Oh my god,_ Sans, how many times have I asked you not to _do_ that?!" Alphys wheezed, wringing her hands. She dabbed at her sweaty forehead with the sleeve of her lab coat. "What brings you b- hey, uh," she looked Chara up and down, clearly confused and a bit alarmed. "D-did the human g-get bigger?? And, uh... different-er?"

Chara smiled, trying to be reassuring, but it only succeeded in making the lizard more nervous. The human groaned internally, wishing for the umpteenth time that they were not so naturally creepy.

"This is Chara. They're from another universe, too," Stretch helped kindly.

Alphys's whole posture seemed to change, one claw coming up to fidget with her glasses. "They are?! F-fascinating! Would you mind answering a few questions??"

Chara shrugged. "Uh, sure?"

Alphys grabbed a pen and paper. "O-okay! So, uh, w-whats the surface like?"

Chara's face morphed to something of disgust. "Awful. Next question."

Aphys looked a bit disappointed, but didn't press. "H-have you met m-m-monsters in your universe?"

"Yeah," Chara cheered right up. "I j- _fell_ down a hole into the mountain, where Sans found me! He-" they paused, looking at Comic for a moment. "...He tried to take my SOUL for the barrier, but mom, heh, _convinced_ him not to, and adopted me."

"Someone adopted you? Your mom?" Alphys pushed gently.

Chara grinned. "Mom is one of the nicest, sweetest monsters in the whole Underground. Toriel, Captain of the Royal Guard!"

Comic and Stretch both choked on their proverbial spit. Neither one of them could picture Toriel as fitting that title.

Alphys frowned at her notes. "Toriel..." She tasted the name again, although she still didn't have a face to put it to. "So if Toriel is the Captain... w-what about Undyne..?"

Chara chuckled. "Undyne wanted to be a hero, inspire everyone, so she had dad turn her into a cyborg anime protag. It actually turned out ok." They scratched their cheek thoughtfully. "She performs on TV playing piano... when she isn't screaming and smashing things."

Alphys smiled, nodding delightedly. She could see it. "So... so you have a dad too? An adopted one?"

Chara nodded. "Dad is the Royal Scientist, Asgore."

Alphys froze, her glasses fogging over as a ragged breath escaped. She was lost, imagining Asgore in a lab coat and glasses, standing in the florescent lights of the lab with the most prim and proper posture, a shy, gentle smile on his fluffy face... She could practically see the anime sparkles and hear the bubbly sparkle sound effects, maybe an exclamation of 'wow~!'. A tense, slightly deranged smile wobbled into place on her face.

Stretch, Chara, and Comic exchanged looks, silently agreeing to give her a moment to her... whatever that was. Then Comic made a polite throat clearing noise (despite not actually having a throat), and Alphys managed to pull herself out of her daze, coughing. "S-so, uh, h-have you met an A-alphys?"

Chara thought about it. "Yes. She's actually our neighbor. She's super shy, wearing a sheet over her head all the time."

"And... you said Sans was the one that found you?" Alphys asked.

Chara nodded, looking away sheepishly. "Yeah. I landed right in his throne room. I think I scared him as much as he scared me."

"Th-th-throne room?!?!" Alphys almost dropped her notepad. "Y-you mean Sans is your k-k-king?!"

Chara nodded. "Yeah..?"

Alphys looked at her friend, taking in his slouched posture and rumpled, casual clothes. She couldn't picture it.

Stretch and Comic looked at each other, not sure if they liked what that meant.

"And Papyrus?" Alphys voiced the skeletons' concern aloud.

Chara smiled. "He's great! We talk a lot. I... probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. I owe him big time."

Alphys nodded. "One l-last thing. W-what is it that y-you do? I m-mean, l-like, where do you live and d-do you have a job?"

Chara hummed. "I'm a sentry. I look out for humans. Ironic, right?" They gestured to themselves. "Me, looking for the last soul to break the barrier, when I already have one?" Their smile strained as they clutched their chest. "All I seem to be good for is watching over Rei."

"Rei?"

Chara gripped their upper arm, squeezing where Stretch vaguely remembered there once being a dusty bandanna. "Mom and dad's real son, Asriel; he's the coolest."

Alphys and Comic froze at the name, although Stretch barely flinched. Alphys gulped, then turned back to her notes, muttering something under her breath. 

"Is that everything you wanted to know for now?" Chara asked.

"It doesn't make sense..." Alphys muttered. "Its not a standard type... its not an element type... its not a tsundere type... or a mirror... its... a shuffle?" She tapped the end of her pen to her snout, squinting at her notes.

"Whats got your scales all stiff, Alph?" Comic asked, coming closer to try and peak at the lizard's notes.

"I've been trying to perfect a naming system for these many universes," Alphys admitted. "But I haven't settled on anything yet, and all this new data has only confused my system further..."

"Well, maybe what we came to ask ya about can help?" Stretch patted Chara on the shoulder. "We got a lead on how to, maybe, get data on other universes remotely. But-"

"Y-y-you need more materials?" Alphys looked around. "I-I-I don't have very much left... I-I might be able to scrounge up a few more bits of scrap but y-you guys really tapped me out..."

"Are you sure?" Comic asked, hiding the disappointment in his voice far too well.

Alphys nodded. "I'm s-s-sorry, Sans, b-but even I have l-limited resources..."

Comic sighed. "Nah, it was a long shot. We'll just try elsewhere. Thanks anyway."

* * *

The three left the lab, Stretch and Chara looking pensive while Comic was calm and unaffected.

"So where were you thinking of going to get the stuff we need for this?" Stretch asked, eyeing the lava lit scenery.

"We'll make a JUMP, and go ask another royal scientist for help," Comic answered.

"Who?" Chara asked, curious.

Comic shrugged. "Whoever we think will help. I'm guessing you and the others know better than me if you can convince your royal scientist to lend a hand..."

Stretch smiled. "Might be able to get Undyne to help... but I'd rather not drag her into this whole situation..."

"Okay, fair enough... Would she help without an explanation?" Comic asked.

"Only if I promised her one later... she's... she's shy but she's still very, very determined."

"I think thats a universal truth about Undyne," Comic joked.

"Dad will help," Chara said. "Dad will be curious but if I ask he'll give just about anything." They looked at their feet. "I don't like abusing his generosity or trust, but this is to help monsters, right?"

Comic eyed Chara thoughtfully. "You'e really eager to be 'helpful'."

Stretch narrowed his gaze at Comic defensively.

Chara shrugged. "It's the least I can do, ya know, after my species collectively subjugated and imprisoned you all for no good reason, and condemned you to choosing between your lives and your morality like some sick game of chicken..!" Their intonation started off light and passive, but gradually became more aggressive and biting. Their expression started off controlled and even, friendly, but shifted to something dangerous.

Stretch once again found himself lost in the power of the light in their eyes.

Then both the moment and the light were gone, and Chara was back in control. "Anyway, I can just, you know, pop over and get a few things... Just tell me what you need?"

Comic regarded them, his eyelights briefly darting to Stretch before offered his hand. "Why not just take us along?"

"...You would either have to hide your face, or pretend to be his majesty. Are you okay with that?"

Comic pulled his hood up, hiding his eye sockets. "Fair enough, not exactly a _royal_ pain."

Stretch smiled wryly as he held out his own hand. He could see what made Comic suggest it (because he had been about to suggest the same thing). "Gonna be fun to _regal_ the others about our adventure."

"Remember this isn't just some game you can _sovereign_."

"That was a _stretch_ , and thats saying something coming from me!"

Chara couldn't stop the gentle smile on their face as they took the two skeleton's hands. The horrible puns helped fill them with DETERMINATION. As did how Stretch squeezed just a little harder than he had to.

Stretch lead the count.

* * *

Dance was starting to seethe. Red kept watching him work over his shoulder, that critical, dark stare boring into the back of his skull and burning over his hands. Dance couldn't quite figure out what it was he wanted, which probably contributed to his mounting anxiety, and by extension, irritation.

It had to have been the tenth time Red loomed over him when Dance finally snapped. "What?!" he snapped, pulling out of the panel and turning to glare back at his counterpart.

Red caught himself before he could flinch. "What d' ya mean 'what'?!" He snapped back, defensively.

"You keep looking over my shoulder like I'm some intern trying to patch the Core. What do you think I'm gonna do, blow us all up?!" Dance crossed his arms, meeting Red's glare with his own. He had learned that Red responded to confidence (and apparently whatever Lust did? He didn't actually know or understand their dynamic, although knowing what little he did about Red, _he_ didn't know himself). The polite, reserved person he usually found more effective wasn't going to work with him. Not that Dance really minded that, if he were honest. It almost felt good being able to let go of his tight emotional control and express himself honestly.

Dance refused to admit that he might actually have a problem.

Red clicked his teeth. "Nah, more worried about yer shitty wirin'." Red muttered. His claws twitched, and he started signing { _was gonna_ } but stopped when he realized Slim was watching inconspicuously. He leered thoughtfully at Dance again before going back to what he had assigned himself to be doing.

Dance frowned. He had no idea what it was his counterpart actually wanted, but Red clearly wanted to keep it under the proverbial table. The only question Dance had was if he really wanted to help the single biggest jerk he had ever met who hadn't actually crossed the line into unsalvageable evil.

Slim, meanwhile, was wondering what it was that Red didn't want to share with him.

Lust watched casually while he played cards with Frisk. He wasn't so much interested in what Red was hiding as he was in how the lumination from his socket cast the softest pink glow over his nasal ridge, taunting him with the barest mimicry of the blush he had so quickly come to adore. Lust forced himself to tear his gaze away. Staring like an idiot was not going to get him anywhere but overheated and embarrassed.

On the bright side, now that he had been allowed to ~~steal~~ borrow Red's coat, he could easily hide it if his magic started acting up. And as a bonus, the scent of mustard and smoke and dust still clung to the leather, which, along with the soft, well broken in texture of the leather, promoted keeping him subdued and contented. Lust had to actively resist the urge to snuggle up and nap, something he hasn't had to do indoors since he can't remember when.

Lust liked it, but he was adamant that he liked it better when it's owner was in it with him.

Lust needed to stop thinking about it. Now was not the time.

The three worked through the awkward silence, until Dance finally pulled out of the panel he had been finishing and closed the hatch. "Ready for a test run."

"'Still think this thing's a death trap," Red muttered, scowling at it.

Slim smiled mischievously. "So who wants ta flip it on?"

"Ain't gonna be me," Red stated as he crossed his arms.

Dance rolled his eye lights, reaching for the switch and pulling it.

The device whirled to life.

Lust tensed. "...Does anyone sense anything different..?"

"No. Good sign, I guess," Red huffed as rolled his stiff shoulders. Lust tried not to think about what the act looked like without the sweater (and ultimately failed).

"First test should be a regular shortcut," Dance said. He stepped to one side, shortcutting to the other side of the room.

Slim snapped his attention to him. "Well?"

Dance paused. "It felt about the same..."

"'About'?" Red questioned.

"Yeah. For a sec I thought... I felt warmer than I should have..." Dance muttered.

Red leered, then shortcut himself across the room. He went rigid. "Oh hell!" He clawed at his chest, cursing.

Slim and Lust exchanged looks, before both shortcutting across the room to see for themselves.

"Yeah, warm... I see what you mean..." Slim nodded.

"I didn't feel any different..." Lust mused.

"O' course ya didn't. Yer always jacked up on th' shit!" Red huffed, shaking a bit. He rubbed at his sternum through his shirt. "It ain't permanent though... still..." He was not certain if or when he would get used to that.

Lust looked at Red in confusion. Then the realization hit him. "Oh my god..." He blushed as the implications hit him. "A-are you telling me I could have gone home _at any time_?!?!"

"Looks like it," Red admitted.

"You guys just so happened to hit the frequency for LUST??" Dance accused, feeling uneasy.

"Hey, yer th' lil wuss that didn't wanna use LV directly!" Red reminded him.

"Well I don't know if I want to use LT either!" Dance snapped back.

Slim leaned back, lighting a new cigarette. "i'm guessing its got ta be a human trait derivative. Although that doesn't explain why LV works."

"If violence isn't a derivative of human traits, I don't know what is," Dance muttered. "Bet its DETERMINATION based."

"We can research that later. In the meantime," Lust shortcut back to his seat on the couch, pulling Red's coat tighter around him, inexplicably cooling him down, "do we test the ability to shortcut to other universes?"

"I'd like ta test the JUMP, if its all the same to ya," Slim hummed. Before anyone could bother to say anything, he sidestepped, shortcutting with a nearly inaudible displacement of air.

Red immediately pulled out his phone, texting Slim: [u make it]

Slim responded promptly with: [yup bbs]

Red stared at his phone. "He's fine... so... so th' machine works..?"

"It works..." Dance breathed, looking at the huge, unattractive hunk of literal garbage. "It works!!" He jumped up, punching the air and bouncing excitedly. "It works!!! We can all go home!!!"

Lust sighed in relief. Frisk cheered quietly, clapping and beaming.

Red grinned, letting out a breath and a significant amount of tension. "Think I'mma go check on a few things while th' others do their shit." He sidestepped, leaving Dance and Lust behind.

Dance loured at the spot Red had occupied a moment before. "Nice way to say, 'fuck you losers I don't need you anymore!'" He grumbled, his good mood tarnished. He looked back at the Machine, his genuine smile tugging gently at his teeth as he was again reminded of the momentous accomplishment he had be integral to.

Frisk started gathering the cards from the spot on the floor.

Lust gripped onto the coat, sighing. "He's not that bad... he probably just needs some time to himself. These last few weeks have probably been more socializing than he's had to do in only stars knows how long..."

Dance sighed. "I know, _I know_ , but he just- he rubs me such the wrong way! I mean, whats his problem?!" Dance settled on the floor, crossing his arms as he finally let himself vent. "Why does he have to be such an ass? Its completely against monster nature!"

Frisk came over to sit by Dance, holding up the cards hopefully. Dance glared at them. Frisk didn't flinch. The skeleton pulled his hood up, sighing, before looking at Lust pleadingly.

Lust smiled thoughtfully, getting up and settling by the others on the floor, holding out his hands to take the cards and deal them out. "I guess I can see why he might be hard to handle..." he admitted. "But if LV is anything like LT, and that _is_ our working theory, that kind of thing really changes how you see the world... Means you have to work harder to remember who you are. Its not easy."

Dance nodded, but he was tense. This was the closest he had been to Frisk since they had fought. Frisk smiled at him encouragingly, which made Dance even more nervous, and tense. A low bass beat emanated from him. Lust smirked. "And everyone has things that make them uncomfortable~"

Dance flushed a bit, recognizing the irony, even if he didn't like it.

Frisk giggled, earning a glare from Dance. They didn't take offense.

Lust started dealing the cards, figuring that the others were going to keep them waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ i caught your slip up, human!!  
> we aren't talking about how Chara basically admitted to two suicide attempts since they dropped into this story, huh?  
> No? Ok.
> 
> ~ omg Alphys!! stop fantasizing about fuzzy boss monsters  
> stop thinking about Asgore dressed in a pre-void Gaster cosplay  
> stop it  
> s t o p  
> (i don't think she can hear me)
> 
> ~ (to chara and stretch) OMG JUST KISS ALREADY *mettaton leg*  
> SAIL MY SHIP DAMN YOU  
> STOP TRYING TO DEVELOP YOUR RELATIONSHIP AT A REASONABLE PACE  
> BE IN LOVE AND ALL SAPPY AND SHIT  
> I NEEEEEEEEEEED IT
> 
> ~ (also to chara and stretch) YOU JUST MET WTF STOP BEING SO COMFY WITH EACH OTHER
> 
> ~ Lust I feel your pain. I can't stop my brain going inappropriate places when Red is involved either.
> 
> ~ so LT works like LV to increase the effectiveness of DT. ~~i've basically made it my headcanon that Lust fucking enough monsters gives him the ability of multiversal travel pfft and LUST REALIZES THIS~~
> 
> ~ yes Lust could have gone home at any time and he didn't know it
> 
> ~ Red and Slim both ditched them like they were Jerry omg...
> 
> ~ and Red left his coat. I guess it's Lust's coat now.


	42. Parents, Preparations, and Pivotal Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see whats going on with our renegade Fell monsters, and meet Chara's dad.  
> Also there is character development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another short one, but considering how limited my time is now, and how I wanted to end it right there? I'll take it.

Chara shortcut to the rear entrance of their father's lab. There was less traffic as well as a camera blind spot. They took a deep breath of the sweltering Hotland air, the faintest whiff of golden flower tea flitting from the crack of the shutter doors. They looked at their two skeletal companions.

Comic tugged his hood down a bit lower, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Stretch pulled his own hood up, slouching more as he rolled his shoulders.

Chara nodded, hoping that their dad was in one of his dismissive moods, the kind where he didn't notice little details like the monster type of who was speaking to him. They smacked their cheeks and took a deep breath before going into the lab.

Inside the darkened laboratory, huddled in a chair far too small for him, looking drained, exhausted, and broken, was Asgore. He wore a long, snug fitting labcoat, his beard tied primly with a colorful rubber band (presumably to keep it from interfering in any experiments). His slightly stained cream shirt and soft pastel purple sweatpants mixed pleasantly with his own off-white fur. He was barefoot, his large fluffy feet tucked under him as he sat in the space in front of a monitor that was trained on a small human that was playing a game of dodgeball with Rei (only the balls were flashing rainbow star bullets).

Chara smiled sadly, seeing the world weary slump of their father's shoulders. "Dad..?" They asked hesitantly.

Asgore jumped in surprise at the sound of the human's voice. "Chara! Oh, please do not sneak up on me, young one!"

Chara smiled. "Sorry, dad. I just thought I'd come visit today... Is it a bad time?"

Asgore looked back at the screen, where Rei and the other human were hugging, a resolution obviously achieved. "...Now is a splendid time, young one." He stood up, setting his novelty flower mug on his messy desk. "And who are your companions?"

Stretch waved. "Nice to meet you, Asgore. They call me Stretch." Comic waved, but he decided that speaking was a bad idea. Stretch picked up on it, smoothly continuing with an introduction. "And this is my friend, Comic."

Asgore eyed the two of them suspiciously, but his smile remained gentle. "A pleasure I am sure. Anyone who can charm our little Chara must be truly exceptional."

"Dad..!" Chara sighed. "I'm twenty-three! I'm not in stripes anymore!"

"I know, young one, but compared to me, you will always be but a child. One that I am proud to call my own." Asgore spoke with a wisdom and warmth that brought an embarrassed flush to the human's cheeks.

Comic and Stretch shook silently in amusement. They were comparing this new variant of their king to what they had seen. Chara sighed, but their grin didn't change. "Dad, we have a little... uh... science project, and we need parts..? Machine parts?"

Asgore lit up, his warm liquid eyes lighting up with excitement. "Really?! Splendid! I think I have a few leftover nicknacks laying around that you could recycle. Here, let me see..." He gingerly shuffled upstairs, carefully avoiding knocking over any of the many typha vases, and rummaged about looking for solid parts.

Stretch and Comic exchanged looks.

Stretch signed, { _He's so paternal!_ }

Comic replied, { _He has it down to a science!_ }

Both skeletons started laughing. Chara eyed them, suspicious. "Whats so funny?"

Stretch grinned. "Just a few dad jokes."

Chara's eyes narrowed, flashing red briefly. "You better not be making fun of dad."

"Me? Never! I've got the utmost respect for Dr Dreemurr!" Stretch insisted, that mocking grin on his face.

Chara was just about to dig into them both (playfully, since they could tell the skeletons had no ill intentions) for their teasing, when Asgore made his way back down, carrying a cardboard box filled with materials, most of which looked like old electronic toys and obsolete computer parts. "It is not much, but there are plenty of parts here that just won't work in my own projects. Maybe they would help you?"

Comic offered to take the box, grinning. Those parts would be perfect for their needs! Asgore carefully lowered the box into his awaiting hands, making certain Comic had a good grip and he could handle the weight before completely letting go.

"Thanks a million, dad," Chara breathed, leaning to one side (towards Stretch) as the minute tension drained from them.

Asgore chuckled. "It is my pleasure. Will you and your..." he looked Stretch over with a knowing, amused glint that was only heightened by the shine on his spectacles. "... _friends_ , be staying for tea?" The way he said the word, like he had exchanged it for another, would have caused Stretch to pause even if he hadn't been hit by the invasive sensation of a CHECK.

Chara shook their head. "Not today. But another time, I think."

"I look forward to it," Asgore assured his child.

Chara gripped the stunned, puzzled Stretch and guided him towards the back exit, where Comic was already waiting. Stretch looked over his shoulder at Asgore. Asgore grinned toothily, knowingly. He then pointed at his own eyes, and then at Stretch, in that nearly universal (or in this case multiversal) sign for _'I'm watching you.'_

Then the shutter doors closed, separating the lonely scientist once again from the outside world, and he went back to his vigil. Now, however, there was a boosted glimmer of HOPE in his SOUL, that, perhaps, his adoptive child would finally complete the trinity of a monster's essence.

He picked his tea back up, sipping it as he flipped through his security feeds, thinking of possible names for potential grandchildren.

* * *

Chara, Stretch, and Comic all returned to Comic's universe, landing in the livingroom. Stretch cocked a bone brow seeing Frisk, Dance, and Lust on the floor playing cards.

Dance threw his hand down, showing a straight flush of 8, 7, 6, 5 ,4, smirking as he showed he also had the jack and 9.

Lust sighed, showing his full house and pair of twos with a rueful grin.

Dance grinned wider.

Frisk bit their lip, pouting a little as they reluctantly showed off their flush with a king, queen, 6, 4, and 9, with two other 4s for a three-of-a-kind.

Dance pumped the air, scooping the pot of what seemed to be leftover nuts and bolts with a victorious gleam in his eyes.

Comic looked Frisk up and down. Besides being reasonably disappointed in losing, they looked fine. Better than they had before, even. Their complexion was warmer, and their eyes had that sparkle of life back in them.

Lust chuckled. "For not wanting to play, you're sure good at it."

Dance shrugged. "I never said I was bad at it. I just didn't want to play."

"But it looks like you had fun anyway, huh?" Comic commented, setting his burden down.

Dance ignored Comic's observation, jumping on the box of spare parts. He started separating them. Lust moved to help him.

Frisk cleaned up the cards and went to sit with Comic on the couch, watching curiously.

"So," Stretch said, looking around. "Where are Red and Slim?"

"They ditched us," Dance huffed, not looking up from the treasure trove before him.

"Where did they go?" Chara asked, watching the skeleton work from a respectful distance.

Lust grinned. "Home, to check on their brothers," he said confidently.

Dance rolled his eyelights. "I bet Red just left to smoke."

Lust considered that, thoughtful, before deciding he couldn't really refute that idea.

Stretch sighed, settling on the couch next to Comic. "I hope they're both alright..."

Dance scoffed, although his fingers slowed marginally. Lust paused entirely, taking a moment to pull Red's coat tighter around him and breathing in the heavy musk still clinging to the lining and the leather.

Chara didn't like the shift in the tone of the room. They wondered what it was that would make the others so nervous about the two AWOL monsters. Then they remembered the other universe -- _Horrortale_ , they reminded themselves, it was called _Horrortale_ \-- and shuddered. They could only imagine what suffering they were made to endure above and beyond imprisonment in the mountain.

* * *

Stopping at home to check on Edge had been the smart move. His brother came barreling into the house not five minutes after he had arrived home and flopped on the couch. He'd been covered in a fine layer of sweat, almost like he had been running.

It had been an awkward few seconds of silence before Red had grinned and said, "Heya, Boss," with a cheeky wave.

Edge had closed the front door behind him carefully, before getting straight to the point. "ARE YOU BACK FOR GOOD??"

Red sat up and shrugged. "Eh, I dunno. Kinda?" He would have left it at that, but the look in Edge's eyelights told him he should elaborate. "Th' machine's workin', so we can come an' go. But we gotta find a safe place t' stash th' damn thing. An' lets be honest, anythin' can happen 'tween now an' then what might break it all over again."

Edge nodded, crossing his arms. "SO WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE NOW?"

"Got an errand. Figured I'd pop by an'..." Red broke eye contact. "...take a nap."

Edge looked Red up and down. That had been a lie. But it wasn't one of his brother's usual, insensitive, callous lies. It was a different kind of lie. The kind of lie he hadn't heard come from Red in years. It was only his excellent self discipline that allowed Edge to keep his stoic facade in place, to keep from cracking a wry smile. "YOU DO NOT NEED ANY MORE FUCKING NAPS. GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE FOR ONCE!!"

Red's grin softened for the briefest moment. "Whatever ya say, Boss," he said, standing up. He turned his back to Edge, and started walking towards the stairs, waving over his shoulder without looking back. Two steps and a shortcut later, and Red casually walked down the hallway of the True Lab.

The hand he'd been waving with came closer to tug gently at his own collar, making the soft worn leather rub against his cervical vertebrae, and the magic embroidered on the inside surface warm against his bones. It was a gesture he'd stopped making years ago, because he wanted to buffer himself against the day that magic ever faded, knowing (from experience) that that would be the day he lost all hope. He ran the tips of his distal phalanges over the flawless hand-sewn stitching, feeling the distinct shape of the letter 'P', a fragment of the phrase he knew stood out against the red leather in a faded gold script.

He felt the warmth of the magic that thrummed through that stitching, intent made tangible, focused with a singular, lasting purpose, and for the first time in years, he thought that maybe there was a chance it would be okay to hope that he would have it tomorrow, too.

Red only allowed himself a fleeting moment to linger on these thoughts, before shoving them in a metaphorical box and locking it away, so he could focus on the present.

The True Lab of his universe was usually cold, empty, and inhospitable, a place filled with bad memories and worse evidence of just how far Alphys had fallen. Usually, Red did his best to stay as far away from it as he could, but now he had a reason to be here.

He was gonna jack everything he needed from that lizard bitch.

It wasn't hard. Alphys had cameras everywhere, sure, but even she had blind spots. And Red knew these labs just as well as she did, if not better. He knew how to get in and out so well he could probably manage it without his shortcuts, although he would never bother trying.

This was the second time he had been down here in less than a week. Red couldn't help but scoff at himself. He had really become stupid, sticking his neck out for the most idiotic reasons. Yet here he was, shoulders hunched as he rounded a corner, keeping an ear out for any stray vermin lurking around. He could have shortcut right into the experiment room, but if he had, and someone else was there, it'd be trouble.

The halls remained empty, the silence unbroken, as Red entered the room. It was completely trashed, just as he had left it when he'd come and rescued Lust. There were a few vials and notes missing, likely relocated to another room for filing and study, but the broken machines and damaged furniture were left untouched. He had been counting on that, counting on how absentminded Alphys could be, how often and easily she was blinded by tunnel vision.

As much as he hates her, he's glad he knows her so well.

Red went around the room, gathering still salvageable parts and any metal he thought would be able to handle recycling. He smirked approvingly at the gouges he found, where his magic had perforated the machine that had been used on Lust.

Treasures in hand, Red shortcut to his lab under the house and got to work. If Dance could do it, then so could he. He didn't need help with this. And if he did, well... Slim would be almost as invested in this project as he was, wouldn't he?

Red started with the circuitry. He ended up shocking himself repeatedly before he even started trying to get the sensors tuned to the frequency he wanted. He got frustrated when he could tell he was picking up the wrong signals, his irritation building as minutes became hours. He could design and build in theory, but he still had trouble fine-tuning the final product. He didn't have the patience for it, and usually, he didn't have the drive either. It was so much easier to just draw up plans and hand them over, to wave it off as someone else's problem to actually get it done.

He must have pulled his phone out any number of times, glaring at his significantly longer list of contacts. But each time he would growl, shove it back into the pocket of his shorts, and resume working. He didn't need anyone else to do this. He didn't need anyone else's help. _Those freExp powder puffs had made him softer than he thought if he honestly needed anyone's help to do something as simple as this._

 _'Okay,'_ he thought as he once again shocked himself, snarling a wordless obscenity before licking his burned phalanges, _'perhaps it wasn't exactly simple.'_ But he helped design The Machine for stars sake. He could build a device that amplified magic.

He could, and he would, No matter how many fucking times he burned himself working with these fucking tiny ass electronic pieces.

* * *

Slim sat down on the livingroom couch, taking a deep breath and fighting down the anticipation about reuniting with his brother. He couldn't be certain if he was dreading it, or excited for it. Probably both, if he were being honest.

What Slim had expected was his brother to come running. Instead, he got a text telling him to sit down and stay put until he got there. Slim couldn't help the pang of disappointed, but he did as he was bid, making himself comfortable as he waited patiently for his lord to return home. The wait, however, turned out to be excruciating. He kept thinking there was something off, something out of place.

Razz didn't return for more than twenty minutes, the amount of time it took for a leisurely stroll from Waterfall to Snowdin. Slim jumped to his brother's side the instant the door closed behind him, scooping Razz into his arms and checking him over for injury.

Razz flicked Slim right between the eyes. "FOCUS, MUTT. I AM FINE. HOWEVER, THERE IS A MATTER I NEED TO DISCUSS WITH YOU."

Slim snapped to attention, kneeling in front of his lord and going rigid. That was his brother's serious voice.

Razz loured down at his brother, pausing to give him a moment to focus. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He repeated the act a few times, seemingly uncertain where to begin. Then he went to the kitchen, pulled a pre made burrito from the fridge, and came back. "IT MIGHT BE FASTER TO SHOW YOU."

Slim followed his lord obediently out into the shed. Razz paused, waiting for Slim to close and lock the door behind him, a sign that there was a prisoner being held. This only puzzled Slim further as he habitually slid the latch into place, because Razz had never brought his own cooking to a prisoner before.

The shorter skeleton walked calmly down the short hall space to the front of the cell door, and unlocked it so he could step inside. Slim followed, tensing, because Razz never went into the cell when it was occupied like that, so casually, so unguarded, so utterly lacking in menace and disdain.

The behavior, however, made complete sense when he finally stepped into the open area of the shed and looked inside the cage to see his brother handing the burrito to a child.

A human child.

Slim had thought that Frisk had been small, but this, this child was smaller than Razz. This child was far too skinny, dirty, malnourished, and their clothes showed wear and tear that indicated they had at one point or another been cut, burned, and beaten. Bloodstains, dust, and dirt turned what once had been a cute green-and-red-stripped (giftmas?) sweater into a pathetic ruddy brown, and their once navy jeans to a coal black.

The child set down the stuffed animal they had been cuddling to take the food offered them, trust and gratitude towards Razz evident in their face. Razz combed through the child's dirty brown hair with his claws, a gentle pat and affectionate scratch rolled into a single gesture of reassurance, which the human leaned into as though it were the only source of comfort they had ever received.

Temmie smiled triumphantly from his new spot on the floor, looking at Slim from the other side of them, daring him to say anything.

Razz didn't look at Slim, his impassive, stony scowl directed at the 8-year-old iteration of Chara he had captured... or, in this case, _rescued._

Slim knew the next words that would come from his lord before he even uttered them. He knew what made his brother's eyes flicker with pain and regret he would never show to anyone else besides himself. He knew what it was he would be asked to do, asked to SPARE his little brother, his master, his lord, from needing to.

"Papyrus, kill them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ holy shit ASGORE SHIPS IT SO HARD  
> WTF DID HE SEE?! WHAT DOES HE KNOW?!?!
> 
> ~ as a note, Lust, Dance, and Frisk were playing a version of poker called Seven-Card Stud 8-or-Better. I don't actually play, so I had to research it. It seems overly complicated but that fits with the kind of game I think Dance would prefer. Plus, its a 'split pot' so he would have two chances to win.  
> Yes, they used the leftover machine parts as poker chips. It was Frisk's idea.  
> Having actual stakes with which they could win or lose, even if those stakes are worthless in practice, filled them with DETERMINATION.
> 
> ~ woah ok so look at that LOOK AT THAT THE UNDERFELL BROTHERS HAD A MOMENT  
> A MOMENT WHERE RED WASN'T A DICK  
> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> ~ also gdi Red look at you actually putting effort into something WHILE SOBER
> 
> ~ wait does this imply that Red and Alphys used to be friends????? wtf???????
> 
> ~ Razz wtf is going on with you why are you being so ni- OK THERE IT IS


	43. Resolute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slim faces a pivotal moment with his usual _je ne sais quoi_ , and Red gets left out of some prime teasing opportunities. Also there are hints at other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still kinda short for my taste but I LIKE WHERE IT ENDS AND GOD DAMN IT I WANNA UPDATE MORE REGULARLY

The mood of the shed went from heartwarming to cold in an instant. Temmie deflated, a look of disappointment and horror on his face. The human looked heartbroken and horrified. Slim could see his brother's scowl twitch, the closest he had come to flinching. Razz's gentle petting never wavered, even as he ordered their execution.

The human swallowed hard, their mouth dry. They shook, their glittering red eyes looking at Razz pleadingly, begging silently for him to reconsider, to say it was a jape in poor taste.

"No!" Temmie shouted. "No hurt hooman! You do so goid!"

Razz ignored both supplications, looking at Slim. "Make it painless."

Slim watched his brother for a moment, his own expression emotionless and impassive. He then looked at the human. The child had set the half eaten food down, and was signing frantically. It wasn't wingdings, so Slim didn't academically know what it was they were trying to say, but he didn't really need to. A cry for MERCY was universal.

And that child was terrified. They didn't know him, they had never seen Slim before. They only knew that he had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and had been commanded to end their life.

Slim clicked his teeth. He could see this was going to weigh heavy on his brother's SOUL either way. He would have to phrase this carefully. "If yer certain, mlord," he drawled, summoning a bone in one hand and flipping it casually.

"WHY WOULD I NOT BE CERTAIN?!?!" Razz snapped, pulling his hand away from the child and glaring at his brother. The way his glowing pupils constricted told Slim he had caught his attention.

Slim smiled. "Just saying that killing them won't get us anywhere." He tossed his feeble weapon into the air, where it hung cruelly, pointed tip poised at the child and ready to strike at the slightest flick of his wrist as he pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. He took a quick drag, tension leaving him as the nicotine mixed with his magic. "Kiddo probably won't stay dead."

The human and temmie exchanged surprised looks.

Razz crossed his arms. "EXPLAIN."

Slim blew a smoke ring, careful to angle it away from his lord. "Apparently theres this stuff called DETERMINATION that some humans have. It lets them change their fate, and if they have enough of it, even the fate a those around them. Enough still will let them actually rewind time."

Razz narrowed his eyelights at Slim. "Bullshit."

Slim shook his head. "I would never lie to you, mlord. I've seen a human murdered repeatedly, at least once by my own hand, and quite literally refuse ta die. DETERMINATION is a powerful, dangerous thing."

"AND YOU THINK THIS HUMAN HAS SUCH POWER?" Razz asked.

Slim winked at the human. "I know it. Kiddo made it this far didn't they?"

Razz pondered over this. "Then there truly is no benefit in killing them..."

Slim let his attack dematerialize, relieved at having avoided what would have likely been a vicious cycle of senseless, rewardless murder. "Yer name is Chara, right kid." It wasn't really a question.

The human flinched, doubly shocked, but nodded dumbly. _They hadn't even told Temmie their name. How did he know?!_

Slim chuckled. "Eat up kid. Gonna need yer strength fer freeing all a monster kind. Unless a course ya decide ta kill the queen, take her soul, and skip town all by yer lonesome."

Temmie looked a bit nervous still, although the human picked up the burrito and returned to eating. They seemed content, a warm smile playing at their face.

Razz looked the child over thoughtfully. "Yes... that would be the smartest move for them to make, wouldn't it..." He murmured to himself in his softer, thoughtful voice. He didn't like that idea at all, but he could think of several worse resolutions. He turned back to Slim. "WILL YOU BE AWARE IF THE HUMAN DOES INDEED ALTER SPACE TIME??"

Slim chuckled, a sly grin on his face. "Dunno. Be interesting ta find out."

The human finished eating, licking a bit of sauce and grease from their little fingers, then stood up and wrapped their arms around Razz in a hug. Razz pet their head again, which the human nuzzled into happily, grinning. Slim watched with amusement, delighting in how relaxed and contented his brother was. It never failed to amaze him how Razz could find joy in the simplest things. He hoped that would never change, despite everything.

The human then pulled away, and signed at Razz, pointing at the door.

"Hooman ask go?" Temmie translated. The child kept signing. Temmie made a face. Then the human signed at the plush toy, making a stubborn face of their own. Temmie sighed, then looked back at Razz. "Hooman like skelly. Hooman like food. Plz can go?"

Just like that, the gentle moment was gone, and Razz returned to being the hard, stubborn guard captain that he was. Slim turned his attention to his phone, texting Comic to get into touch with Frisk.

Razz glared as if the plush toy had personally offended him. "HOW MANY TIMES MUST I SAY NO BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU INFERIOR ABOMINATION OF NATURE?!"

The human snapped their fingers, huffing. They signed at Razz again. Temmie smirked. "Hooman says yoo smell." Razz and the human gave the temmie identical looks of exasperation. Temmie just flopped over looking as innocent as he could.

The human signed at the tem again. Temmie sighed. "Hooman sayz want try do a win. Hooman want bwek barrier. Hooman want go up."

Razz glared at the human. "THERE IS NO GOING UP YOU FOOLISH CHILD'S PLAY THING!!"

Slim made a throat clearing noise, closing his phone. "Mlord..?"

"WHAT?!" Razz snapped, turning to look at his brother irritably.

"I have it under good authority that the most effective solution to this is to allow the human to proceed as they please," Slim said, almost meekly.

Razz growled. "WE HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT THEIR DEATH IS MEANINGLESS." He stomped over to Slim and reached up, yanking him down to eye level by his collar. Slim had anticipated the action, and knelt down in time with the motion to keep himself from falling onto his brother. Razz snarled low in his face, a show of domination and control that was utterly unnecessary but habitual. "WE DID NOT ESTABLISH THAT THEIR LIFE WAS."

Slim could see the euphoric grin on the child over Razz's shoulder, and saw them sign to Temmie excitedly. Temmie briefly lost their dopey face, adopting an unamused and skeptical expression. Chara scooped him up in their arms, nuzzling and petting him in a way that soothed the toy, securing him in the crook of their arm before signing for him. Temmie smiled ruefully up at his human friend, nodding in acquiescence.

Razz let go of Slim roughly. "UNLESS YOU WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY HUMAN'S WELL BEING, I SUGGEST YOU KEEP QUIET, MUTT!"

Slim shrugged, fighting down a grin at his brother's freudian slip. "Sure. I'll do that."

Razz looked at him skeptically. "CLARIFY."

Slim's amused smile broke through. "I _promise_ I'll keep an eyesocket on the kid." _He'd make any promise to his master._ "Will that set your mind at ease, mlord?"

Razz clicked his teeth, crossing his arms and toying idly with his purple scarf. "...THIS WOULD BE A MISSION OFF THE RECORDS."

Slim knew what that meant. _If he were caught assisting a human, Razz, as captain, would be required to capture, torture, and possibly dust him._ The only reason Razz had thought he could get away with holding the human in the shed was because if he was caught, he could say he was waiting until he could arrange for secure transport to New Home. He could play it off as following protocol. But what Slim was suggesting, promising, was something far more proactive. It was treason against their queen. It went against every moral and ethical code the two of them had... except one.

It was gambling with their way of life.

Slim had never been much of a gambler, but if he knew a game was rigged he wasn't above putting all his money down.

And he was certain this particular game was rigged in his, his brother's, and the whole underground's favor.

So he nodded his understanding.

Razz's gaze pierced through him, and for a moment Slim could imagine that for once, he was the one being judged. Then he spun on his heels, picked up the empty plate, and marched out of the cell, and waited until Slim had followed before slamming it shut and locking it. Slim winked knowingly at Chara right before they left, locking the shed behind them, and leaving the human alone again with their plush companion.

It was Temmie who noticed the glint on the floor, the dim light reflecting off a spare key that one of the skeleton brothers had dropped in the cell.

* * *

Dance finally, finally pulled away from his work, looking smug as he wiped his hands on a spare cloth, staining the fabric with grease, rust chips, and his own sweat. He looked at Chara, who had been very patient as they had a headset basically built right onto their head. The device was heavy, looking like a helmet made from a section of a wire fence and decorated with electronic pieces, sensors, and an oversized lightbulb.

"Is it uncomfortable?" Stretch asked, running a finger over one of the few smooth plates of metal, the one that tucked behind the human's right ear and held it in place. "It looks a little uncomfortable..."

"It is," Chara admitted, shifting their head from side to side slowly to again test the weight. "Could use a bit of cushion around my ears, but its not so bad... I've dealt with worse."

"That means absolutely nothing, you know that right?" Stretch deadpanned, pulling away and rummaging to find some rubber to make a cushion with. "You say that like it matters. What matters is your well being now, not your frankly _inhuman_ tolerance for pain."

Frisk giggled on the couch, still clutching Comic's phone from earlier. Comic was dozing, slumped forward and a little to one side, leaning into the human. Frisk didn't seem to mind, occasionally looking at the skeleton and smiling.

"How would you know about human pain tolerances?" Chara countered, grinning cheekily back at the monster.

"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong," Stretch dared them.

"You don't have eyes."

"Guess that means I'm right then." Stretch snipped a bit of rubber into small pieces and carefully slid it under the metal rim, wrapping it around the harsh edges to blunt it from the human's tender cartilage. "Better?"

Chara bit their lower lip. They didn't want to complain but it _did_ feel better. Much better. So much better.

Stretch chuckled. "Thats what I thought." He moved to get the other side, and the human sighed in relief. Stretch found that he adored that sound.

Lust chuckled. "If you two are done flirting, I think Dance wants to do a test run," he purred.

Stretch immediately lurched away from the human. "We were _not_ flirting..!"

The human turned a vivid shade of pink, averting their eyes to the TV, where Dance was double and triple checking the connections. He was rigging it so they could all see what Chara was going to see. "I'm ready when you guys are," they said decisively, ignoring Lust's teasing grin.

Dance was straight faced, but it was a near thing. Seeing Stretch get flustered was more amusing than he thought it would be. He thought it served Stretch right for being nosey, and it was entertaining to watch. He allowed himself a moment to watch poor Stretch flounder with his own feelings before redirecting his attention to Chara.

"Ok, so what I want ya to do is CHECK the Universe, so we can see if the display works," Dance said.

Chara nodded their head, closing their eyes for a moment before opening them to look into the code.

> **Line 000:** undertale_FC3059 | _// ???_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 549:** 77760006 | _// Time (seconds)_  
  
On the TV, a black screen with white and gold letters popped up, showing the same information. The data under Line 549 continued ticking upward in real time: 77760007, 77760008, 77760009, 77760010, and so on, steadily, by the second.

"'Undertale FC3059,'" Dance read out loud. "Whats that even _mean?!_ "

"I think... I think it's the name of the universe," Chara replied, even knowing Dance's question had likely been rhetorical. "That same string shows up in your Line 550 array."

The other monsters looked at the human funny.

Chara stuffed their hands in their jacket pockets. "Will this thing show a normal CHECK if I do it?"

Dance looked back at the screen. "Theoretically."

Chara looked at Stretch. "Do you mind being, uh..."

" _On display_?" Stretch finished for them. He chuckled. "Not at all, thanks for asking. Go ahead." He spread his arms wide, a physical expression of invitation.

Chara nodded. They CHECKed him. For a moment the TV went blank, and then his data showed up:

> **Line 001:** Papyrus | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 002:** 1 | _// LV_  
> **Line 003:** 1 | _// Current HP_  
> **Line 004:** 1 | _// Max HP_  
> **Line 005:** 11 | _// Attack (-10)_  
> **Line 006:** 0 | _// Weapon ATK_  
> **Line 007:** 11 | _// DEF (-10)_  
> **Line 008:** 0 | _// Armor DEF_  
> **Line 010:** 0 | _// EXP_  
> **Line 011:** 0 | _// GOLD_  
> **Line 012:** 0 | _// Kills_  
> **Line 036:** 101 | _// Fun_  
> **Line 038:** 0 | _// End_  
> **Line 116:** 0 | _// Has Umbrella_  
> **Line 550:** [underswap_D206C1, undertale_FC3059, storyshift_001017, horrortale_09F5B4] | _// ???_  
  
Everyone took in the information.

"Why do you have a data line for whether or not I have an umbrella??" Stretch asked, like that was what stood out to him the most.

"I don't know! I just get what I get, ok??" Chara shot back defensively, their cheeks flushing pink again.

Lust was more interested in the FUN value, snickering quietly as he saw it tick up to 105.

Dance, ever the serious one, focused on Line 550. "Its an array..."

Chara pointed. "See? Undertale FC3059 is right there. The same as the universe. In my Line 550, that Storyshift string is my first value, followed by the Horrortale, and then by Undertale. In, uh," they looked back at Comic. "Him? His first value is the Undertale value, and he doesn't have anything else populating the array. The same for his brother." They turned back to the TV screen. "I think Line 550 is an array holding SAVE data for different universes."

Dance looked back at the screen. "So the universes have names..."

Lust grinned. "Whats mine say? Can you see?"

Chara CHECKed him without thinking, and what they saw showed up on the TV screen:

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [underlust_000434, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
> **Line 601:** 20 | _// ???_  
> **Line 602:** 99999 | _// ???_  
> **Line 603:** 12 | _// ???_  
  
Chara hadn't noticed those 600 lines before. They had learned to filter out data they didn't need, skimming through it to get to what exactly they wanted to know as quickly as possible (because there are literally hundreds of lines of data to sort through and they only need, maybe, ten or so). They had 'showed' Stretch's full (read: useful and understandable) stats more for example than anything. However, these new lines caught their attention now, and because of that, popped onto the TV with everything else.

Lust himself was a bit shocked. He stared at the new data lines like they were going to attack him.

Nobody else payed them much mind.

"'Underlust' huh? Why am I not surprised?" Dance said wryly, a bit of his amusement coloring his tone.

It brought Lust back to the present. "Wanna see what yours is then, sweetie?"

Chara waited for Dance's approval before CHECKing him. When Dance's data overwrote Lust's on the screen, a part of Lust sighed in relief.

> **Line 001:** Sans | _// Name_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 550:** [dancetale_001A19, undertale_FC3059] | _// ???_  
  
Stretch snickered. "'Dancetale'."

Dance pulled his hood up, hiding his face.

Lust snickered. "So Undertale, Underswap, Dancetale, and Underlust... and, uh, Storyshift? Is that right?"

Chara nodded.

"I wonder what Slim's and Red's universes are called..." Stretch thought wistfully, his concern for them welling up briefly. He shot them both a text, hoping to hear back and assuage his fears.

Dance coughed. "Back on topic. Human-"

"Chara," the human corrected.

"...Chara," Dance huffed out, not liking how the name tasted on his metaphorical tongue, "Can you try CHECKing for other Universes?"

Chara nodded, a small motion so as not to jostle the machine on their head. They focused, filled with DETERMINATION as they tried to feel out the same sense of knowing that meant universal code, but from further away.

They were bombarded with information. It was as though they were again on the surface, looking upwards at the stars, but instead of uncountable points of light, it was uncountable points of information, of _knowing_. They shuddered, their human mind shocked to stillness by the sheer magnitude (and beauty, and terror) of the infinite.

On the TV, the screen could only show various blinking white pixels in a sea of black, as much a crude, inelegant analogue for the night sky as it was for what Chara was seeing.

Stretch, sensing the human's distress, reached out and gripped their shoulder.

Chara felt the physical weight of Stretch by them, and it was enough to bring them back into focus, to tether them to their individuality and sense of self as they began to really sort through the multiverse.

On screen, text flashed on and off as the human skimmed the data, only ever staying long enough to check to see if Line 038 was at 1 and Line 549 was updating.

Comic, who had woken up sometime during the explanation about universe names (but had been too tired and comfortable to move) now got up to watch the screen from up close.

Names flashed by: Undertale, Underfell, Underswap, Swapfell, Fellswap, Altertale, Horrortale, Dancetale, Underlust, Undernovelia, Reborntale, Alterswap, Flowerfell, InvertedFate, Outertale, Alterfell, BadBrother, Humantale, Storyshift, Oceantale, Undynetale, Machinatale, and more; they came and went with various ID numbers, some universe types appearing more frequently than others. Chara was starting to get frustrated.

But finally, finally they found one that looked promising, not only from the stats, but from the name itself:

> **Line 000:** aftertale_000666 | _// ???_  
> ---|---  
> **Line 038:** 1 | _// End_  
> **Line 549:** 45100800 | _// Time (seconds)_  
  
Chara locked onto that Universe, their piercing eyes glowing brilliant scarlet as they stared unblinking into the middle distance. The 549th Line value did not even twitch.

"I think this one is a good place to start," the human said definitively.

"Why?" Dance asked, skeptical.

"The name, 'Aftertale'," Chara said as if that would explain everything. "The universe names seem to say a lot about what they are like."

"There were a few that seemed to share attributes... like 'tale', 'swap', and 'fell' seemed pretty common," Comic observed. "If we're working from that... then something called 'aftertale' is either gonna be really good or really bad for us."

"So who do we send to check it ou-" Dance started, then stopped. "Wait... _how_ are we gonna get there in the first place... none of us have been there..."

Chara grinned. "I can get there. All I need is the Universe name."

"Really??" Stretch asked, surprised.

"Probably," Chara answered with a shrug.

"What do you mean _probably_??"

"Means I'm about to find out. Let go unless you wanna come with me," Chara said, pulling off the helmet. They were already gathering their DETERMINATION.

"You can't just go diving into another universe all alone!" Stretch chastised.

"So is that a yes or a no to you coming with?"

Stretch's deadpan expression and the tightening of his grip on the human's shoulder were answer enough.

Lust gripped Chara's other side, winking. "Three makes a party," he hummed, rolling his shoulders in Red's coat.

Dance hesitated before grabbing Lust's other hand. "Someone has to make sure you don't get into trouble," he muttered. Lust beamed back at him, squeezing his friend's hand back.

Comic ground his teeth, gripping his own arm and stepping back. His smile was strained. "Someone should stay here..."

Chara looked a bit confused, but Dance, Lust, and Stretch nodded in understanding. Stretch then looked at Chara and nodded.

Chara closed their eyes, pulling up their own stats, just like they had when they first began learning how to use their magic. They went to their own Line 0. Then, using all the DETERMINATION they could muster, they _changed_ the value of their own data line.

And then all four of them disappeared, leaving Comic and Frisk alone in the now uncomfortably lonely house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ swapfell chara is a mute because reasons
> 
> ~ huh so theres a change. slim makes the promise to RAZZ, not ASGORE. huh. i wonder why razz is so protective of the human? why does he care? is it just a universal truth that sansi types have a weakness for kids? he's being very... parental...
> 
> ~ Slim would have gladly killed the human without care or remorse... except for one thing. one very important thing. ok two things. but one is more important than the other.
> 
> ~ huh i wonder what those 600 lines are on Lust? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
>  
> 
> ~~i typed that emoji out all by myself JUST BECAUSE I COULD AND BECAUSE I COULD I HAD TO~~
> 
>  
> 
> ~ i actually looked up on tumblr when the aftertale comic started and ended (november 13 2015 - april 18, 2017) and thats how many seconds that is
> 
> ~ also where the fuck is red?


	44. Afterparty (Pt 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which three skeletons and a human go exploring a new universe, and get a startling surprise or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aftertale is an AU originally created by a very cool creator called CrayonQueen (CQ), AKA ["LoverOfPiggies" on Tumblr](http://loverofpiggies.tumblr.com/)! I have it on good authority that this person is very nice and great. CQ now makes original content so if you haven't seen their stuff, please do check it out! Supporting good artists and creators is a wonderful thing!
> 
> If your main concern is their undertale fandom contributions, you can start reading [the official Aftertale comic (which is complete!) HERE](http://loverofpiggies.tumblr.com/post/133172875595/i-have-a-very-bad-idea-for-a-comic-or-is-it-a), assuming you haven't already.
> 
> And remember that, like always, this fic and its interpretations of these AU ideas are not in any way affiliated with the original AUs or their creators.
> 
> \-------
> 
> with that out of the way, this chapter SUCKS and I'm sorry this is all i can give you.

Chara slumped into Stretch, exhausted, as soon as the group was solidly settled on the other side of the human's forced shortcut. Stretch caught them, alarm spiking in his SOUL which was only eased when the human managed a weak hand gesture, a thumbs up, before going limp and closing their eyes to recover their strength. Chara wanted to go straight for their chocolate stash in their pocket, but they didn't have the energy for even that much. They weren't even sure how it was they could stay awake. Forcing a shortcut like that was significantly harder than doing it through intent and instinct.

Lust looked around the room, feeling a bit uneasy. The air was cold. Cold and empty and stale, as if it had been left undisturbed for some time. The house was missing a few things he had come to expect (such as the couch, television, and pet rock). There were impressions still in the carpet where furniture had been, and distinct patches of off-coloration on the walls where pictures had once been hung but were no longer. However, the more eery thing of all was just how quiet it was. Lust couldn't hear anything: no music, no voices, no footsteps, no underlying buzz of machines. _Nothing._ He pulled Red's coat tighter around him, glad for the extra layer of comfort.

Dance pulled away, going to inspect the room. His face was neutral as he stood before the memory of what had once been, picturing the old lumpy couch, the picture frames, the table, the pet rock, the TV, the room as it might have looked before it was stripped away. His eyelights flickered briefly, his jaw tightened, but he said nothing, even as his thoughts turned to regret and his SOUL throbbed with bitter resentment.

"Why is the house so empty..?" Stretch asked, looking around now himself.

"Did something happen..?" Lust asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Yeah. It did." Dance replied, voice neutral and reserved. He looked down at Chara and Stretch on the floor. "Can you stand?"

Chara took a deep breath, forcing their arm to rummage in their coat pocket, looking for the chocolate. Stretch, catching on to the human's intention, reached in to help guide their dumb fingers and pull out a chocolate bar. He unwrapped the tin foil carefully and pressed it into their hand. Chara ate it with a sigh of relief, then, with Stretch's help, stood up.

Dance went to the front door and opened it, gesturing out into the pristine, untouched snow. "Probably better if we walk... I doubt the Riverperson will be here."

Chara nodded, the atmosphere cluing them in to what had probably happened.

"Why wouldn't the Riverperson be here??" Stretch asked, voice going a bit high with his alarm. Lust didn't like the sound of that either.

Chara and Dance exchanged glances, and for the first time, there was real understanding between them. They shared small, knowing smiles, and refused to speak further on the matter., despite Stretch's and Lust's prodding.

The group walked, led by Dance, across the Underground, heading for New Home. Chara needed Stretch's help to stay upright. Stretch reminded them numerous times that they could stop to let the human rest, but Chara waved him off, eating more chocolate to speed up their recovery. Their energy was at full by the time the group made it to the Judgement Hall.

During the trek, Stretch and Lust grew more and more anxious and unsettled. The only sounds to be heard had been the gentle burble of water, and the echo of their own footsteps. The echo flowers only had incoherent, noisy babbling, the indistinguishable background noise of a large crowd, whose tone and intention couldn't be determined by the records of overloaded flowers. Even the Hotel in Hotland was abandoned, the fountain dried up, a few G left in the bottom of the empty basin all that was left to show someone had ever been there.

Chara and Dance remained seemingly unperturbed, except for a few times their moods seemed to sour, as though remembering something aggravating. Both of them only had to look at Stretch and Lust to return to passive, almost amused states of mind. They both paused in the Judgement Hall, SOULs stuttering briefly before they gathered themselves and continued onward. Neither one of them would look at the floor even though it was spotless and empty.

Still, they continued onward. Stretch and Lust both shared a look, stopping in the throne room. "Where are we going??" Stretch asked, exasperated.

Dance and Chara both stopped, shared a look, smirked, and kept walking.

"When I asked for you to start getting along with the humans, this is not what I meant," Lust whined, starting after them again.

"Careful what you wish for," Dance chided good-naturedly. 

Chara snickered. "We'll shed light on the mystery soon enough." A look of shock and mortification crossed the humans face as Dance started laughing in earnest. "I didn't mean-"

"That just makes it even better," Dance wheezed.

Stretch and Lust looked between them, not getting it.

When the group reached the dark tunnel, where the barrier should have been, and found nothing, they started to understand.

Stretch and Lust shot passed Dance and Chara, moving faster than either one had moved outside of a fight (and arguably ever). They raced down the tunnel, locking on to the distant glimmer of light that became brighter and brighter, so bright it hurt to look at, until they broke free of the cave and-

And-

_It was a beautiful day **o u t s i d e**_

The sun was shining.

The sun was shining down _on them_.

The two skeleton monsters had to close their watering sockets. Neither one was certain if they were crying because the blindingly bright light of day hurt their subterranean eyesight, or because of the sheer shock and awe that had struck them. The warmth that fell upon them like weightless rain, the freshness of the air, the sound of birds, the buffet of the crisp mountain wind as it clawed playfully at their clothes, the light, the blinding but beautiful light..!

Stretch was the first to get his vision to adjust, blinking and wiping tears from his face as he looked up. The sky was such a pure, brilliant blue, just like his brother's eyelights. He heard himself laugh. He'd be able to go home and tell his brother he has _skylights_.

Stretch wished he could have shared this with Blue.

Lust blinked his eyes open shortly after, taking in a breath as he scanned the horizon. The world was so _big_ , so open, so _free_. He shucked Red's coat down, freeing his shoulders and taking a breath of the chill air that felt divine on his bones. He gazed out at the human city in the distance, imagining humans and monsters going about their lives among those huge, intimidating pillars of metal and human ingenuity, filled with hope for a future where they could be anything, and go anywhere.

He wanted to give this, this world of endless possibilities and opportunities, to his brother and his friends. He wanted to stand on this spot and see Pink realize he could do anything with his life, that he could be more. It struck him that perhaps Pink already knew that, and would grin down at him knowingly. A laugh bubbled up as a few more tears dripped down his maxilla.

Lust pulled Red's coat back on, clutching it as he wondered how much this would mean to Red, to see the sun and sky.

Dance and Chara, who had both already seen the view from that cliff ledge, made their way out more slowly, giving the other two time to come to terms with what they were seeing, as well as their own eyes time to adjust to daylight. Dance remembered seeing the sun for the first time: it had been a sunset, the ball of light a beautiful hazy orange, reminding him of Grillby's fire. The sky had been on its way to going dark. He remembered how he had had to chase after his brother, who had excitedly run off to explore that new, open world. He remembered how the two of them had found a field at the base of the mountain, and laid down to stargaze together for the first time. He remembered falling asleep in the dewy grass, holding Suave's hand, only to wake up and see the plaster of his bedroom ceiling.

Chara had been born under the sun. It held little meaning for them personally, but they knew it meant a great many things to the monsters, and would never dream of belittling the significance of seeing it for them. 

The two waited patiently for Stretch and Lust to digest this momentous occasion.

When their faces were dry, and their wits had returned, Stretch and Lust looked back at Dance and Chara. "You cheeky gerks, you knew they were free," Stretch accused, smiling.

Chara shrugged. Dance grinned wider.

They all took one more moment to appreciate this, this amazing feeling of being _free_ , before Dance pulled them back on track. "Ok, so now we need to make absolutely certain there won't be anymore RESETs. That means finding out whats going on with the human."

"And the monsters," Chara said. "I'll go to the city and check things out."

"What do you mean, 'you'll go'??" Stretch asked, suspicious.

"I mean I'll go," Chara repeated. "We have no idea what the public opinion on monsters is. The humans might have cooked up something terrible, like enslaving them, or turning them into pets, or pushing discriminatory laws against them that make it impossible to maintain quality living conditions. Assuming the humans let them live."

Lust stuffed his hands in Red's coat's pockets. "Isn't that a bit paranoid?"

"No." Chara said flatly. "It's not. Humans are _scum_. They have done all of that and more to their _own_ kind, whats stopping them from doing it to another? They sealed the monsters underground in the first place, remember?"

"You've got to be kidding," Stretch breathed, feeling a bit nervous now.

"You guys have no idea how awful humans can be-" Chara started.

"They might not, but I do," Dance cut the human off. "So heres whats gonna happen. We're gonna keep our hoods up and go to town. All of us. Because if anything happens, I wanna make sure its not because of something _you_ did."

Stretch was about to jump to Chara's defense, when he saw the human hunch their shoulders. "Fair enough," they sighed, pulling the hood of their jacket up. "Just... keep your faces hidden. None of us want to get recognized anyway."

Stretch shot Dance a look before pulling up his own hood. He didn't like Dance's methods, but he had to admit they were effective.

Lust pulled the hood of Red's coat over his head, glad he had it now more than ever since he didn't have a hood of his own.

The party made their way down the mountain, heading for the city in the distance. None of them expected to see the tidy suburban community that was just beside the mountain. The buildings here were smaller and easily missed from the cliff. As they entered the area, the group became aware of the activity. Monsters and humans alike could be seen walking the elegantly paved sidewalks. Most of the humans appeared to be tourists, taking pictures of the monsters and ducking in and out of shops. The monsters welcomed them, but largely went about their own lives.

A bus was parked on the outskirts of the community. Inside was the Riverperson, humming their usual song. Stretch caught sight of them, feeling markedly relieved to see a familiar face (or lack of face). He headed towards the bus, gesturing for the others to follow along.

"Tra la la. I am the busman. Or am I the buswoman...? It doesn't really matter. I love to drive in my bus. Would you care to join me?"

"That would be very helpful," Stretch admitted, starting to get on. The others followed.

"Can you take us to the city?" Dance asked, pointing through the window to the city, where the skyscrapers shimmered in the midday sun.

"Tra la la. Next stop is where you need to go," the Riverperson -- or is it Busdriver (Busperson?) -- hummed in their familiar yet eery way. The bus doors closed without the Busperson touching anything, and the vehicle began moving without the engine turning on. The only one who thought it was weird was Chara (who had been on a bus before and knew this was not how human busses worked).

The group settled in for the ride.

The skeletons watched the scenery pass by. Chara made sure their window was closed (for some reason they were all open) and settled down low in their seat, not interested in looking out into the world. Dance settled in, not enthusiastic, but not unhappy about his view either. Stretch and Lust were practically leaning out the windows, drinking in as much as they could experience.

The bus made incredible progress, zooming down the road at a steady pace. The city loomed ever closer. Soon the air shifted from clean and clear to thick and hazy, the first sign of urban life. The bus turned off the main road, entering what appeared to be a suburban section, cute houses in cute little towns outside the bustle of the city proper. In the yards, they could see monsters and humans alike tending to domestic duties like watering the garden or mowing the lawn. Some had children playing in them. Others had elderly couples enjoying the good weather.

It was around this time that Stretch got replies from Red and Slim: Red said he was busy and would text later. Slim said he would be busy for a while but have a good story afterwards. Stretch was a bit disappointed in their curt, chat-speak dominated replies, but he was relieved to hear from them at all.

The bus wove deeper into suburbia, passing by little mom and pop shops as well as homes now. It made a turn down a street called 'Snowdin Drive', stopping in front of a lovely two story house dressed to the nines in christmas (Giftmas?) decorations, including fake snow on the roof. There were three mailboxes, with an S, G, and P painted on each respectively. A quaint little sign mirrored the number obscured on the door by an outlandish holiday wreath: 2663.

The bus came to a stop there, opening its doors at 2663 Snowdin Drive.

The group looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh, we were hoping to go to the city..?" Lust said, looking at the house through the window.

"Tra la la~ It is polite to knock, even if you know who will answer," the Busperson hummed.

Chara hesitated, before getting up and off the bus. The others followed. Once everyone was off the bus, the doors closed and it drove away.

Stretch looked up at the house. "Why would the River-Bus-person bring us here?"

"They said to knock," Lust reminded them, headed up to the house.

"I don't like this," Dance muttered.

Chara bit their lip. "I'll go first, so if something happens, it happens to me." They stoked their DETERMINATION, SAVEing just in case.

Lust, however, had other plans. He went up to the door and knocked twice.

Chara face-palmed. Stretch chuckled. Dance shook his head, thinking it was risky.

A few moments later, a familiar voice called "Who's there?" from the other side of the door.

"Orange," Lust purred.

"Orange who?"

"Orange ya gonna open the door?"

Chuckling could be heard from the other side, as could the soft clink of metal as the door was unlocked. "You're home early, the pizza isn't even here ye-" the door opened, and the speaker looked out at his visitors, his grin freezing on his face as his last word died in his proverbial throat.

Lust, Dance, Stretch, and Chara were all stunned into silence as they saw who it was that greeted them.

It was a Sans. He wore fluffy white slippers, the bottoms only slightly discolored from overuse. His black track shorts were a bit rumpled, but the white stripe on the side was pristine and vibrant. His shirt and jacket were just as blindingly white. The one real bit of color on him was the scarlet of a ratty old (familiar) scarf that had obviously been through some rough days.

The most shocking thing about this particular skeleton, however, was that his right eye socket was strikingly disfigured, as if someone had tried to melt it shut and stopped halfway.

The melted Sans clutched at his scarf nervously, his other eye socket contorting in confusion as he looked at his guests. "You didn't tell me you were bringing anyone else. Friends from work?" When nobody spoke, he pressed. "Sans?"

Lust reached up to cover his teeth. "What... _happened_..?" He whispered in horror.

The Sans raised his bone brow, as if asking what the hell Lust was talking about.

Stretch felt nauseous, seeing that scarf again around the neck of a Sans, and knowing what it meant. He rushed forward to give the monster a hug.

The Sans bristled, before patting Stretch awkwardly on the back. "Uh, ok, you're the friendly type. I can respect that. But maybe ask next time before giving spontaneous hugs, 'k?"

Another familiar voice came from inside the house. "Geno! You order that pizza yet?"

The Sans (Geno), turned his head to look behind him, towards a doorway that lead to another room where the second voice had originated. "Sans?!"

"Yeah?"

"Sans, get out here!!" Geno called, a bit frantic.

"Whats wrong, another letter from your secret admirer?" The other voice teased, as a second skeleton -- a second Sans -- came into the room, carrying two cans of cherry flavored soda. He wore similar slippers and track shorts and a white shirt, just like Geno, but he also wore a blue jacket more like Comic. His hood, however, was lined with fluffy white fur, more similar to Red's coat. He froze upon seeing the others. "Uh, friends of yours?"

"I thought it was you! Or your friends," Geno said, alarm mounting.

Stretch looked up to see the second Sans. He pulled away from Geno, careful to keep his face covered as he backed away. "Sorry... saw the scarf and acted without thinking..."

Both Sans and Geno paused at his voice. They could have sworn that it was familiar.

"Actually, this might be easier than expected," Lust purred. "Can we come in? We wanna ask a few questions, and maybe a favor?"

"Maybe start with your name first?" Sans said, stepping up to get in front of Geno protectively.

Lust pulled his hood down, grinning. "I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton." He chuckled at their stunned faces. "But you can call me Lust."

"Lust??" Geno and Sans asked at the same time.

Dance pulled his own hood down. "The worst part is he picked that name himself."

Chara snorted. "You're kidding."

"I wish." Dance deadpanned. "The guy's shameless."

"Better than being uptight, Dance sweetie~" Lust purred. "Of course I'm still happy to help you with that stick~"

Chara looked at Sans and Geno. "Maybe we can have this conversation inside?"

Geno pointed towards the couch, a look of shock still on his face as he grabbed Sans' arm and backed up so the others could come inside. Then he closed the door behind them.

Stretch sank onto the couch, pulling his hood down and sighing with relief (it was starting to get a bit warm for him). He pulled out his honey bottle and drank from it. "Again, sorry about the hug. Knee jerk reaction."

"Papyrus?!?!" Sans and Geno gasped at the same time.

Stretch chuckled. "Yeah and no. Call me Stretch. It's less confusing, trust me."

Chara pulled their own hood down, sitting by Stretch.

Sans and Geno both flinched at the sight of Chara's face. Geno tensed, magic crackling at his fingertips and around his head. Sans grabbed his shoulder. "Calm down. Breathe. They haven't done anything yet."

"They shouldn't BE here!" Geno hissed.

"Let's at least hear them out," Sans reasoned.

Geno clutched at his scarf. "If they make one wrong move, you don't get in the way again."

"Promise," Sans said, easing his grip.

Dance nodded his head, looking at Stretch and pointing at Geno with his whole hand. "See? I'm not the only one."

"We are not having this argument again," Stretch said firmly. "We never would have made it here without Chara's help, and you know it."

Dance crossed his arms, settling down on the floor cross-legged.

Lust smiled reassuringly at Sans and Geno. "Sorry about this. I know this must be kind of surprising. But we could use your help."

"Whats going on?" Sans asked.

Stretch grinned. "I'm guessing you guys know all about multiverse theory."

"Intimately," Geno replied.

"Well, then I won't bore you with the details. We and a few others ended up getting sucked into Comic's universe -- Comic is a Sans -- and we couldn't find a way to get home by ourselves, so we had to build this machine to help us shortcut home-"

"Wait, what?" Geno interrupted.

"Well, it was a shortcut that got us sent to another universe," Stretch tried to explain. "Shortcuts are magic fueled by DETERMINATION, which you know, is a substance that lets humans warp space-time, so..."

"But the amount of DETERMINATION you would need to do that would kill you!" Sans exclaimed. "How are none of you melted?!"

"Is..." Lust looked at Geno. "Is that what happened to you, sweetie?"

Geno touched at his right eye socket, smiling wryly. "Yeah. Kid did a genocide run, and I got desperate. Injected myself with a little too much DT, and... when they struck me down, I got... stuck in the void. Its why I go by Geno now."

Lust looked at Sans. "Guess that makes you Paci?"

Sans (Paci) snorted a laugh. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"You didn't need to," Geno pointed out.

Paci looked back at the others. "So how did you avoid the melting-and-getting-stuck-in-the-void thing?"

"Our running theory is that it was because the six of us used shortcuts to the same general location at the same time, so our magic got mixed up and dragged us all to the same universe," Dance explained. "There were some other elements at play at the time, complicating it further. Short answer is there was a resonance of too many frequencies and we all got unlucky."

"I would say we all got very lucky indeed~" Lust purred, clutching Red's coat and nuzzling the fluff of the hood. Dance rolled his eye lights, although one hand drifted to touch his phone. Stretch looked at Chara briefly but said nothing.

"So what, you're stuck here now?" Paci asked.

"No, no, we can go home now... its just..." Stretch paused. "All of our universes are either waiting for the human, or currently have the human underground doing this and that with the timeline. So we don't want to keep our machine in a universe with lots of anomaly activity." He looked at Chara. "Chara CHECKed this universe out and thinks there might be lower anomaly activity going on, so we were hoping to have your permission to hide our machine here?"

Paci and Geno looked at each other. They seemed to share some sort of silent conversation. The Paci looked back at Stretch. "Would you guys be, I don't know, coming in and out to check on the thing? Is the machine dangerous? Where would you keep it?"

"It shouldn't be dangerous in and of itself, but you know just about anything can blow up if its treated wrong," Dance admitted. "So yeah, we'd be coming to check on it every once in a while. The Underground here is pretty empty, so if we stashed it there I don't think it would bother anyone..."

"Does it need electricity to run?" Geno asked.

"Yeah," Lust answered.

"Then the Underground won't work," Paci told them. "The CORE was turned off down there. Too expensive to maintain, especially since nobody lives down there anymore. You'd have to keep it up here and connect it to the surface grid."

"There's a new CORE?" Stretch asked.

Paci smiled. "Alph and Geno managed to build a new one using surface materials. Its not only more efficient, but easier to maintain."

"I didn't do much except translate old blueprints and pass her the wrench," Geno muttered, shrinking into his scarf.

Paci grinned wider. "Sure, bud," he said, patting Geno's back and letting the matter drop.

Lust looked at his friends. Then back at Geno and Paci. "Well, thanks for talking with us. We'll get out of your hair."

"Where are you going?" Geno asked.

Chara stood up. "To look for somewhere else..?"

Geno gave Chara a hard look, then looked at Paci. They had another one of those silent conversations, and then Paci grinned. Geno sighed, nodding. Paci waved his hand in a 'follow me' gesture, and headed through the house. He led a very confused band of multiverse travelers through a hall, passed a sunroom, and into the back yard. There he gestured at the large shed. "Is that going to be big enough to hold your machine thing?"

Dance darted forward, going to look inside the shed.

Stretch looked at Paci. "Are you sure? We'd be coming by to look after the thing, and we don't want to impose..."

Paci shrugged. "You guys are kinda family right?" He looked at Geno, grinning as he watched him gently but firmly decline another one of Lust's classic flirtatious advances. "We gotta take care of family."

Stretch chuckled. "True."

Dance came out of the shed, smiling as he wiped dirt and grease off his hands. "It's perfect. We'd have to move some of the stuff out, maybe into your garage? But it's perfect. You, uh, sure you don't mind?"

Paci was about to say something when the sound of a loud engine cut off his thought process. The engine roared closer, sounding from the front of the house as the source of the noise (a red sports car) pulled into the driveway and turned off. Paci grinned. "If you won't believe me, lets ask a higher power."

Geno snickered, knowing from experience just what was in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Chara is not really a fan of puns, not saying they dislike them (they make them laugh and feel comfortable when they hear them) but they don't make them or like making them. but after living with Toriel they sometimes make them accidentally, and its embarrassing
> 
> ~ The Riverperson (now Busperson) adapted admirably to the surface. As did their boat, who makes a very handsome bus, don't you think?
> 
> ~ Its super creepy how the busperson's bus knows where you need to go even when you don't. convenient, but creepy.
> 
> ~ Geno thought it was Sans (they do this shit all the time). he wasn't... entirely wrong? but he's still super confused
> 
> ~ this went surprisingly well, but thats only because Geno and Paci have already been through the whole 'omg its another me' thing. Lust is more than happy to take advantage of that.
> 
> ~ wow does geno still have some sour feelings for (a) chara


	45. Afterparty (Pt 2) Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal is made, some progress is made, and we finally see what Red's been all shifty about

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't post this story until the May 5th (because I didn't have an AO3 account quite yet), but I started writing this story on May 1st, 2017.
> 
> So guess what?
> 
> YAY HAPPY 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!  
> WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!
> 
> I wanna thank everyone who's been on this wild ride with me from the beginning, and everyone who jumped on board later down the line. Without your support I might not have gotten this story to where it is today.
> 
> I think it's pretty fitting that the end of the fic is coming so close to the anniversary of its creation.
> 
> There is still a bit more to go, but the ride is almost over. And I have you, my audience, to thank for that. So thank you, friends, and enjoy this, the next crapter.
> 
> (get it? crapter? crap chapter? lol i think i'm funny)

Paci waved for the group to follow him back inside. Even from the sunroom they could hear the voice of the new arrival.

"SANS!! GENO!! I HAVE RETURNED!!! WHERE ARE YOU??"

Paci and Geno exchanged looks. Geno clutched his scarf, grinning wider. Paci gestured for the others to sit down, make themselves at home, while they went to talk to the new arrival.

Paci went first, Geno close behind.

Stretch shrugged, sitting on the sunroom couch and getting comfortable. Chara joined him. Lust sat on a beanbag chair that he immediately decided he liked. Dance inspected the stereo system, impressed.

They couldn't quite hear what Paci or Geno were saying, but they could hear the other.

"A SURPRISE?? WOWWIE!! AND IT IS NOT EVEN MY BIRTHDAY!!! WHAT IS IT??"

A moment later, loud, energetic footsteps came bounding down the hall. And then a skeleton (a Papyrus) was in the doorway. He stood tall and proud (if a little puzzled at the moment), dressed in a sharp royal-purple three-piece suit. The Delta Rune (the symbol of the monster royal family) was embroidered on the side of the shoulders (as well as the back) of the coat in a creamy white that matched his bones. Around his neck was a handsome patchwork scarf that displayed both many colors and many fabric types, including both the royal purple, the familiar red, white, gold, green, black, and a familiar sky blue. His eyelights sparkled with blues and oranges, bugging out of his head in shock.

The local Papyrus stood there for a few moments, then carefully walked into the room, like he was approaching a scared animal. He knelt down so he would be closer to eye level with Lust (who was the closest to the doorway), and, in a soft, sympathetic voice, asked, "Are you okay?"

The room was silent.

Stretch gripped at his hoodie. He knew what was going through this Papyrus' head. He had had the exact same thought process when he saw Geno.

Lust smiled. He wrapped his arms around the local Papyrus, hugging him in that familial, reassuring way he would hug his own brother. "I'm just fine sweetie. We all are, actually. Don't go worrying about us."

Dance let out a breath he had been holding. He had been worried-

"But if you like, I know a way you can make it better~" Lust purred in Papyrus' ear, his one hand tangling in the scarf carefully and tugging lightly, using just enough strength to make Papyrus aware that he was doing it. He pressed just that little bit closer, so Papyrus could feel his fevered body heat (Lust was actually much cooler than he normally would have been, but he was still significantly warmer than the skeletons Papyrus was accustomed with).

Papyrus stiffened. He recognized what Lust was doing and he was certainly not expecting it.

Paci and Geno both bristled at the change in Lust's timbre. That was NOT what they expected.

Dance groaned softly, shortcutting to the space right behind Lust and grabbing him by the hood of Red's coat. He tugged a warning. "Let go. Geeze, we can't take you _anywhere_."

Lust laughed, letting go of the poor confused Papyrus and winking. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Tall drink of water like this, in _that_ suit? Who wouldn't want a taste?"

"Oh my god," Paci gasped under his breath.

Dance yanked Lust back. "Now look what you did?? We needed them to _like_ us!"

"What did I do??" Lust asked, feigning innocence. "I was nothing but friendly."

"A little _too_ friendly! Damn it, you do this _every time!_ "

"Do not!" Lust shot back, amused. "I didn't flirt with Edge or Razzberry."

"Only because they pissed you off!"

Lust slung an arm around Dance's shoulders, pulling him into a half hug. "Chill out! I got the job done, didn't I?" He looked at the local Papyrus with a playful glint in his eye. "The precious bean isn't worried anymore."

Dance, Geno, and Paci all stopped, looking at Lust in something of a different light.

Stretch, who had been somewhat onto Lust's game, started laughing.

The local Papyrus looked at Lust for a moment longer, his expression thoughtful. Then, after he processed all the information, a radiant smile returned to his face. "WELL!! YOU ARE CERTAINLY QUITE MASTERFUL AT JAPERY!! EVEN I WAS FOOLED!!"

Lust snickered. "C'mon, now. A face like yours? I know when I'm out classed~"

Papyrus laughed. "IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, AFFECTIONATE NEW SANS!!" He stood back up and posed heroically, one hand on his hip and the other on his puffed-up chest, his many-colored scarf billowing in the non-existent wind. "I AM PAPYRUS!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! AMBASSADOR OF MONSTER KIND!! AND!! MASCOT FOR HUMAN-MONSTER RELATIONS!! AND ALSO!! THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!! BECAUSE!! I AM! THE ONLY ONE IN IT! NYEH HEH HEH!!!"

Lust beamed. "I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. But you can call me Lust."

"Sans. Call me Dance, I guess," Dance said, still side eyeing Lust. Lust tightened the half hug a bit, still amused. Dance snorted, but his teeth pulled up at the corners in a wry grin. It was getting harder to stay mad at his 'affectionate' counterpart, because he was coming to understand on a more fundamental level that Lust meant well.

Stretch raised his hand in a lazy wave. "Name's Papyrus. But you can call me Stretch. Less confusing that way."

The local Papyrus did a double take. "ANOTHER ME?!?! WOWWIE!! WAIT..." He scrutinized Stretch. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?? OR IS IT ME?? TO BECOME SO SLOVENLY..!"

Stretch snickered. "Sorry, bud, but I've always been this way. No bones about it, heh."

Papyrus paused. "SANS!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??"

"Nothing, bro," Paci assured his brother.

"They just showed up at the door," Geno added.

"THEN HOW IS IT THAT MY GREAT SELF HAS BEEN POISONED BY YOUR PUNNERY??"

Stretch laughed. "I also boondoggle," he teased.

"NO!!!!" The Papyrus lamented dramatically, although he was grinning. "THE HORROR!! THE SCANDAL!!" He let out a long-suffering sigh. "IF I MUST BE BURDENED BY MORE LAZY SIBLINGS, THEN I WILL SUFFER IT GLADLY!! EVEN IF THOSE LAZY SIBLINGS ARE AS HANDSOME AS MYSELF!! NOT THAT YOU ARE NOT ALSO HANDSOME, BROTHERS," Papyrus hastily added, looking over his shoulder.

Geno waved it off. "Nah, bro. We know you're the one with the looks in the family," he said, grinning. Paci nodded.

Papyrus turned back to face the others. "WE MIGHT, HOWEVER, NEED A BIGGER HOUSE... THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH BEDROOMS FOR ALL OF YOU." He gripped his chin in thought.

"We won't be living here, sweetie," Lust assured him. "We're just visiting."

"NONSENSE!!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"No, really, we have brothers waiting at home," Dance tried to explain.

"BRING THEM!!!" Papyrus said. "THE MORE THE MERRIEST!!"

Chara covered their grin, shaking with mirth. This was what monsters were at their core. And they loved it.

Stretch waved his hand. "We'd be happy to bring them for a visit, but we think we'll be living in our own universes. We just came to ask a favor."

"OWN UNIVERSES??" Papyrus looked confused. "DO WE NEED MORE PIE??"

"Pie?" Was Stretch's equally confused question. He wasn't going to turn down an offering of sweets, but he wasn't quite certain about the seeming non-sequitur.

"No, bro," Geno reassured Papyrus. "They don't need pie. Everyone is fine. They just want to know if they can leave a machine here that lets them travel to different universes safely. They want to leave it here because where they come from, the human is still resetting time and they are worried the machine won't stand up to that well."

"OF COURSE THEY CAN..." Papyrus started, before grinning wider. "ON ONE CONDITION!!"

Geno and Paci looked at each other, exchanging smug high-fives.

Dance looked up, concerned. "What condition?"

Papyrus grinned wider. "TO CELEBRATE, YOU WILL BRING ALL OF OUR NEW BROTHERS HERE AND WE WILL HAVE A NICE FAMILY PARTY!! FOR BONDING!! AND FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI!!"

"Deal!" Chara said a little too quickly, their eyes bright with an idea. Stretch raised a bone brow, eyeing them critically.

"You sure about that?" Dance asked. "Theres, uh... A lot of us... And thats not even counting Tori, Gory, and whatever the human has..."

"My brother's name is Asriel, and he's the best, so shut your face," Chara snapped, protective-sibling-mode making them a bit harsher than they intended. They flushed, shrinking back into the couch. "Sorry..."

Lust laughed.

Papyrus beamed. "HUMAN FRIENDS AND THEIR BEST SIBLINGS ARE ALSO WELCOME!! AND THE TORI AND THE GORY TOO!! I WILL MAKE CERTAIN THERE IS ENOUGH FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI FOR ALL!!"

Stretch chuckled. "My bro is gonna love meeting you."

Lust hummed. "But he'll need a nickname, especially if Rus is coming. They look and talk quite a lot alike..."

Geno and Paci exchanged looks. They hadn't thought of that.

Chara looked over the local Papyrus. "After."

"After what?" Lust asked.

"That should be his name," Chara said. "The name of this universe is Aftertale, remember? Seems to me a great guy like that deserves to be named after something equally important and great." They smiled wide. "What better than the very universe he lives in?"

The squeal of delight that erupted from Papyrus (now After) was more than enough to solidify the decision. Geno crossed his arms, eyeing the human whose simple words had made such an impact. He decided that, for now, he would give them a chance.

But only because it made Papyrus -- After -- happy.

* * *

After cleaning out the shed (with After's permission and assistance), Lust, Stretch, Dance, and Chara returned to Comic's universe (Undertale). Comic was sleeping on the couch, trying not to worry about his friends' well being. Frisk was nowhere to be seen.

Stretch sat by Comic and waited patiently for him to wake up (which didn't take long). He then started explaining what happened. Comic's visible relief was not lost on him.

At the same time, Dance tackled the problem of how to transport the Machine. He was concerned that moving the Machine through a shortcut would mess with its settings, or worse, trap whoever attempted it somewhere not-so-friendly between dimensions. He didn't particularly like the idea, considering the state Geno had been left in. He shut down the Machine completely and unplugged it, carefully coiling the power cable for transport.

Of course this meant he needed someone who could cross inter-dimensional barriers without the machine's help to power the JUMP back to Aftertale. Dance himself would be steering so he could get the Machine in the exact spot in Geno and Paci's shed that he wanted, but he wouldn't be able to do it alone.

Lust felt his phone rumble, telling him he had gotten a text. He snatched it up to read, a smile spreading across his face upon first glance of the sender.

"Lust? Think you could help me move this thing?" Dance asked, patting the side of the Machine.

Lust looked up. "Hmm? Oh, sure. Just, uh..." He looked back down at his phone, typing something out. Then he pocketed it. "Ok, what can I help with?"

"We have to get it back to... Aftertale," Dance said, tasting the name on his tongue. Universes had the weirdest names. "Think you can do it?"

Lust looked at the Machine. "I wouldn't mind trying... but lets be fair. I don't even know for sure if I can do the whole multiverse travel thing on my own... and even if I could, I doubt I could drag something that big by myself..."

He took a deep breath. "Human- uh, Chara?"

Chara looked back at Dance. Dance fought hard not to fidget. He still didn't like the idea of working with a human. "Could you..." He looked at Lust pleedingly. Lust snickered, shaking his head and flicking his hands in a gesture that said 'go on, you can do it!' more succinctly than any words could.

Dance sighed. "Hu- _Chara_ , would you... help us move the machine?" The last words came out grudgingly, fast and a bit slurred.

Lust and Stretch shared knowing, pleased smiles from across the room. Comic looked at Dance with a complacent smirk, amused at how his counterpart was starting to try to get along with a human (even if it was for a selfish reason). Chara looked at Dance with a complaisant smile, appreciating the skeleton's efforts to be cordial.

"I'd be happy to," the human answered, stepping closer to the metal device and putting their hand on it.

Lust and Dance did the same. Then Dance led the count, and the three made the JUMP to Aftertale.

* * *

Lust felt rather winded afterwards. He stumbled back into the wall of the shed, sweating. Chara looked only marginally better, their eyes flickering from bright red to their dull brown as they sank to their knees on the floor. Moving big, inanimate objects was far more difficult than moving other living things.

Dance, largely unaffected, started plugging the machine back in and setting it back up. He tripple checked the wiring and calibrations (still uncertain what JUMPs would do to such delicate systems), slowly and meticulously going from system to system.

Chara patiently leaned back into the shed wall, watching with mild interest (although their thoughts were on something slightly different, wandering to what Stretch would look like with a grease stain on his maxilla). Lust, however, gathered his strength as quickly as possible, and shortcut away.

* * *

The machine was still turned off, but Lust made the JUMP just fine (proving once and for all that he was a bit of a freak in a completely different sense of the word). He was tired and drained, but as he settled on the bare mattress and leaned against the scratched up wall of Red's bedroom, he couldn't really bring himself to care. He gave himself a moment to just... breath, selfishly clinging to the leather coat still swallowing his smaller frame and letting himself be soothed by the lingering smell of smoke and mustard and sweat. He really didn't want to give it up. The fabric was practically embedded with its owner's magic, and feeling that on his fevered body was a balm unlike anything else had ever been.

Lust wondered if this was how Pink felt nuzzling into Mettaton. It would certainly explain why he didn't necessarily need 'help' as often as anyone else...

The bedroom door opened. Red came in, claws in the pockets of his shorts. Lust thought he looked smaller somehow.

"How'd ya get here?" Red snapped, irritable.

"Shortcut," Lust answered honestly.

"Damn machine's broken. I couldn't get through t' yer universe..!" Red complained, kicking the door shut behind him.

Lust smiled. "Seems I don't really need it. Go figure."

Red seemed to take this information in, regarding Lust with a scowl and a hard stare. Lust saw a bit of pink light creep over his nasal ridge, but was smart enough not to comment. He was also observant enough to notice the tension in Red's shoulders, the way his phalanges moved in his pockets like he was playing with something, the way his crimson eyelight flickered as though he were vacillating between agitation and calm. "I got somethin' important t' discuss with ya, an' its gonna sound fuckin' weird t' ya so yer gonna shut up an' listen," He finally said, words spilling out faster and more aggressively than Lust thought necessary, as though he had to force himself to say them.

Lust patted the dingy mattress, hoping Red would sit down and maybe relax. Red didn't move. Lust sighed. "Okay, sweetie. You said you wanted to talk. I'll listen. However much you need."

Red growled. "I don't wanna fuckin' _talk_ I just-" He made a frustrated noise, turning away and rubbing his face with one claw (his right claw, his left still firmly in his pocket, still toying with whatever it was he had in there). After a moment of deliberation he marched over to Lust. Then he pointed at his coat. "Take it off."

Lust bristled, a flash of pain that he couldn't tell was physical or emotion going through his SOUL. He supposed it was about time he stopped kidding himself. _It was fun, but... Red wasn't the type, was he? This had always been a temporary thing, hadn't it?_ Lust slid out of the leather coat, offering it back to Red.

Red grabbed it and set it on the bed, taking a step closer to Lust. He looked even more irritated, if anything. Lust wasn't sure what was going through his head at this point.

"Red..?"

"Close yer eyes an' don't move."

Lust raised an eyebrow ridge, but complied. Red probably had his reasons, and Lust would trust him. Lust became highly aware of his surroundings as Red came closer, looming over him. Red's presence, his smell and his magic and the brief ghosting brushes of his claws against his neck and mandible, sent prickling shivers up and down Lust's spine and encouraged his SOUL to both excite and calm.

"I said not t' move, pixie stick," Red growled, his voice a few half steps higher than usual, almost like he were nervous. Lust did his best to stop squirming, but now he could feel the rhythmic puffs of Red's breath on his face, the smell of mustard and smoke prominent and intoxicating because he already knew what that smell could mean for him and _he wanted it_ -

Then Lust felt a weight on his shoulders, around his neck, and heard the quiet jingle and click of metal. More important still, he felt a strange electric pressure, Red's magic pressing against his own as if demanding something of him; squeezing, not exactly hard, but insistently, pleadingly. Lust instinctively accepted it, letting his head roll back (and exposing his neck further for Red). It was similar to wearing his leather coat, surrounding him in that magic which was so strangely refreshing, which made him feel so much closer to normal than he had in years. But it was different than wearing the coat too. Now, instead of the magic just sitting there, it felt like it had a purpose: this was active magic, not residual.

Red stepped back. "There. Don't take it off fer nothin', 'r I'mma break yer fuckin' legs an' beat ya with th' splinters."

Lust took that as permission to open his eyes. He reached up to feel at the weight on his neck, his phalanges finding something soft and sturdy, something leather. He curled his fingers around it, jerking in surprise when he felt the energetic tingle of magic on the inner surface. He felt where it was concentrated most, feeling something like stitching or embroidery there.

Red pulled his coat back on, looking at Lust with a mixture of relief, apprehension, complacency, and something a little more primal.

Lust pulled out his phone, digging into the storage box for a mirror. He held it up to look more clearly at what it was, and nearly dropped it. There, around his neck, was a black leather collar with a steel buckle, stitched together with vibrant gold thread. Lust could feel Red's magic, his intent, in every stitch, thrumming against his bones. He smiled wryly, hooking two fingers inside to get a good grip. "Normally I'm not into this sort of thing, but for you I can make an excepti-" Lust had tugged lightly on the collar as he spoke, trying to check the fit, but the moment he did he felt a familiar spark of magic against his vertebrae, stronger still than the rest in the leather stitching. His breath hitched, cutting off his words.

Red's eyelight flickered in recognition and satisfaction.

Lust tugged a bit in the other direction, tilting the mirror so he could see the inside of the collar. It took a few moments for him to get an angle he could use, but when he did, he saw it: on the inner surface of the collar, in bright crimson stitching that practically glowed with magic, was a single word in a familiar font. "Sans," Lust read out loud, voice soft from shock.

That wasn't his name. It wasn't meant to be his name, like he would put on his own things.

That was meant to be Red's name.

That was Red putting his name on _him_.

"Red," Lust looked away from the mirror, his distal phalanges already tracing the letters again, reassuring himself they were really there. "Are you..." He grinned brightly. "...proposing to me?"

Red's entire skull flushed his namesake, glowing like a giftmas light. His eyelight guttered out completely. " _NO!_ " He said defensively, gesticulating wildly with both claws. "I'm just sayin' that-! It ain't like that!! It's just-! Fuck, why ya gotta-"

Lust cut him off, shortcutting from his spot on the bed into Red's arms, grabbing Red's collar and pulling him into a kiss. All of Red's tension drained away, his eye sockets drifting shut as he reached for the collar on Lust's neck and pulled gently, sending sparks of his magic up and down Lust's spine deliciously. Lust only pulled his head away when he was sure Red was calm again. "There, see? Feel better?" He murmured, looking up at Red with hooded sockets. He couldn't keep from licking his teeth, tasting the residue of Red's magic on them. He could still taste the mustard and booze, but under all of that was Red's natural flavor: watermelon. He liked it more than he cared to think about too deeply.

But if he was understanding the cultural significance of his new gift, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about it.

"Yeah," Red grumbled, idly scratching at the exposed arch of Lust's iliac crest with his other hand. "I hate when ya do that..."

"Do what?" Lust asked, nuzzling closer, starting to purr from the attention. If Red kept doing that, Lust _really_ couldn't be held responsible for what he did next. It wasn't fair how good that felt.

"Say shit t' piss me off, then- then-"

"Kiss you to shut you up?" Lust teased, nipping at Red's jaw.

"Yeah, that."

Lust snickered, stealing another kiss, purring even louder. His grip shifted on the collar, and for a moment he swore he felt magic just like Edge's, but the intent was different than the intent Red had put into his collar: Edge's magic was all about protection and territory, while Red's..? Yes, there was protection and territory there, but it was _different_ , and there was something else there too that Lust couldn't really name, but he liked the way it felt.

He liked it a little too much.

Lust tugged gently, guiding Red over to the bed. He spun them so Lust could push Red down, making him lay back. Red growled a warning, but he didn't put up much of a resistance, allowing himself to be maneuvered. Lust got the feeling Red was more bark than bite.

_Not that Lust really minded Red's bite, either._

Lust pulled out of the kiss, straddling Red's spine and pushing his sweater up to work on Red's ribcage with knowing fingers, tracing over the sensitive scars that spiderwebbed over Red's bones and massaging the tension out of the cartilage. Red settled his claws on Lust's femurs, letting out a soft grunt of surprise at the first probing touch, then started breathing deep, letting his eye sockets drift shut again.

_Lust could get used to this, seeing Red under him, relaxed and at ease and trusting. He could get used to this real quick._

"I should thank you for such a nice gift," Lust purred, letting his own magic spark in his hand as he reached inside Red's ribcage and ghosted over his thoracic vertebrae. "You didn't have to get me anything..."

"Didn't do it fer ya," Red muttered, arching into Lust's hand, stretching his spine out with a satisfying pop. The soft sigh that escaped him was music to Lust's ears. "Was just gonna drive me nuts if I didn't..."

Lust hummed in mock understanding, realigning a thoracic vertebrae that was slightly askew. Red really did have terrible posture. He'd need to keep on him about that. "So what does it mean?"

Red huffed, squeezing Lust's legs with both claws. Lust leaned down, bringing their frontal bones and nasal ridges together in a skeletal kiss, an intimate gesture that immediately had Red flustered. Lust wasn't certain why this particular question made Red tense up, but he knew pushing wouldn't help. Getting him relaxed was the key. Lust started scratching and rubbing at the inner surface of Red's sternum, his SOUL pulsing ecstatically when he felt the first aborted rumbles of what had to be a purr. Lust briefly forgot his original goal, his entire focus shifting to concentrate his efforts on bringing that noise to fruition. Red growled again, opening one eye to glare up at Lust accusatorially. Lust, ever the persistent one, pressed his teeth to Red's again, his own purring growing louder as he tasted the magic he was quickly becoming addicted to.

He was rewarded with the sound not unlike that of a motor, deep and rumbling and soothing. Lust made a shameful, undignified noise of absolute satisfaction, the hand not occupied with Red's inner ribcage coming up to clutch at Red's jaw. Red yanked a bit harder on Lust's collar, pulling him closer, his other claw shifting to Lust's exposed lumbar vertebrae and scratching teasingly at the spaces between them. Lust couldn't hold back a needy whine, grinding his now fully manifested groin into Red's spine.

Lust couldn't remember his question. The only thing on his mind right now was the monster he was drowning in, the warmth in his SOUL that made him feel alive, and the heat in his bones demanding to be sated.

Everything else, everything but Red's claws now tugging at his pants and Red's purring vibrating through his every atom and Red's magic calling him home, could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ for lust, flirting is a tool. he is a master of emotional manipulation and psychology (although he never studied it formally. he doesn't even know that that branch of science exists. when he finds out he will be very very interested). its a good thing he isn't a creepy manipulative asshole or he could do some serious damage. lust is just a scary ass guy in general. and nobody (but slim) realizes it until its too late
> 
> ~ this particular Post-Pacifist Papyrus design is inspiration directly from [MeAndMyGaster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeAndMyGaster/pseuds/MeAndMyGaster), specifically their story [Thunderstruck](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11574930/chapters/26008686). (I just fell in love with Ambassador Papyrus in his swanky purple suit and I needed more of it, even if just a little).  
> If you like Underfell/Undertale foils, tsundere skelebaes, and/or the personal/emotional growth of a particular tall dark and edgy boi, I would highly recommend reading that fic! <3
> 
> ~ in this particular case, the patchwork scarf is actually a kind of memory quilt. Paci, Geno and After stitched together pieces of fabric that held significance to After: After's old red scarf; Paci's old blue jacket (he got a new, more fluffy one when he reached the surface); one of Undyne's black muscle shirts that got torn; Geno's ruined white shirt (they cut around the red stain to only get the white part); Frisk's bluejeans that they saved the underground in (the kid outgrew them and couldn't wear them anymore); Asgore's purple cape (which got ripped a little during the Flowey fight anyway, and even if it hadn't he didn't really need it on the surface); and a few other things
> 
> ~ dance has made himself the sober friend who keeps everyone else from doing dumb shit (even though he does dumb shit sometimes too)
> 
> ~ oh look at that After wants to have a party *eyes the chapter/arc title*
> 
> ~ Red has issues, especially trust issues... but once someone worms their way into his soul he can't help but trust them. its simply his nature to become deeply, deeply attached. which is why he has always set up such big, fortified emotional walls. And why he doesn't like showing that side of himself to others. and why he is very, very territorial.
> 
> ~ huh look at that Lust isn't the only one who can use sex as a distraction lol i'mma write this from red's perspective because i need it
> 
> ~ i love how more than half this chapter is just rust fluff/smut its pretty clear where my priorities are pfffft
> 
>  **[CLICK HERE to read Red's PoV!!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/33520800)** I wrote it because I needed it.


	46. Afterparty (Pt 3) Invitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Invitations are sent. We get some RSVPs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrote this in 5 hours after goofing off all day. wanted to update again this week. sorry if its bad

As soon as Dance, Lust and Chara had left, Stretch turned back to Comic. "By the way, where's Frisk?"

Comic finally pulled all the way out of his half-sleep stupor. He looked around, as if expecting to see the human on the other side of the room. "Frisk..?"

Stretch sighed. He couldn't help feeling for the poor guy. He doubted Comic was used to doing so much work with so few naps. The last few weeks had been stressful, and now that everything had started to wind down, it was no wonder he was starting to lose his momentum.

Comic ground his teeth, shimmying off the couch and looking in the kitchen. "They aren't here..." He said, as if maybe uttering the words would make them a lie. He took a deep breath, staving off panic he knew in his head was unwarranted. The machine was safe, probably being set up again by Dance at that very moment in its new home. Even if something did happen, a RESET wouldn't be that great of a loss.

But he honestly wasn't all that concerned about _that_. He was more worried about Frisk. There were still plenty of ways for them to get hurt.

Comic tried to think of where the human might have gone without telling him.

There was honestly only one place.

* * *

Frisk stood once again in front of the Grey Door. They clutched at their sweater, trying to still the nervous fluttering of their racing heartbeat. This was a first for them: the first time they were able to see the Grey Door twice in a single RUN.

There had been so many firsts lately.

They could only hope this would be another one.

Frisk scowled at themselves. _No._ They could not simply _home_. They had to be DETERMINED. Frisk smacked their cheeks, shaking their head to move their long bangs from their eyes. If that other Chara could scrounge up enough DETERMINATION to travel through the multiverse ~~all by themselves~~ , then Frisk could do _at least_ this much. Frisk had allowed themselves to become discouraged, RESET after RESET and RUN after RUN wearing down and chipping away at the resolve in their SOUL. They had forgotten the power they truly had. They had become docile and weak, too willing to bend to the will of the world when they had always had the power to change it.

But even now, after everything, it is still them. They are still Frisk. And they control their own fate. They decided a long time ago that they would save _everyone_. That includes the Mystery Man behind the Grey Door.

Frisk clenched their fists, focusing with everything they had. They demanded with their very SOUL, with everything, that the universe _give them this._ They were DETERMINED, more so now than ever.

The human reached out and opened the door.

The hunched, melting figure awaited them, like always, his gaze downcast. Frisk knew, even though he never spoke, that he too had lost HOPE.

Frisk would give it back.

The human marched up to the lost monster, confidence in every step. They _would_ succeed this time. They would. They knew they would. They had faith. They had DETERMINATION, burning like a wildfire where their SOUL should be. They did not flinch when the monster looked up, his broken screech of a voice hissing out what they could only assume was a greeting.

Frisk reached out.

Frisk reached out with both their hand, their SOUL, and every ounce of DETERMINATION in their scrawny little body.

They reached out, and took a firm hold of the monster's hand, squeezing so hard they were certain there would be an imprint of the circular hole in the skin of their palm when they finally let go.

The monster yelped in alarm, but Frisk did not let go. They ground their teeth, and started pulling him back with them, back towards the door.

Back into the world.

To Frisk, it felt like trying to carry a led weight, like trying to pull a heavy sack out of the ocean, each step like they were wading through mud or quicksand. Whatever this room was, the moment they had taken hold of the monster, the air, the floor, the space itself, began to cling to them. Frisk only squeezed the lost monster tighter, and kept pulling.

Frisk heard the monster screech at them, saw his free hand make rapid, frantic movements, but they couldn't understand what he was trying to say. It didn't really matter. They were _so close_ , the door was _right there_ , they could almost touch it.

The door swung open before Frisk even touched it.

Comic stood there, hand still on the door, staring with empty sockets.

Frisk couldn't stop the triumphant grin on their face as they inched their way through the open door, pulling the half melted mystery man behind them.

Once both Frisk and they mystery man were through, the door (along with the space behind it) vanished, leaving an exhausted human and two stunned monsters.

Frisk was hesitant to let go, afraid the monster they had worked so hard to save might disappear again if they did, if they let their DETERMINATION flag for even a single moment.

The melted monster carefully signed at Frisk, tilting his head to one side.

Comic snorted, his grin growing as his eyelights came back, hazy and moist, his shoulders shaking with repressed, near hysterical laughter.

"What did he say?" Frisk asked.

"He said, 'can I have my hand back now, please?'" Comic translated, before throwing himself at the mystery man, jumping up to wrap his arms around his soft, goopy shoulders and hiding his face in his shoulder. Comic's voice was soft, muffled by the goopy substance he was now face first in. "Stars, I missed you..."

The mystery man put his free hand on Comic's skull, stroking it affectionately. His body, malleable and pliant as it was, shook with emotions his broken voice could not express.

It was only then that Frisk felt it was safe to let go of the perforated hand, which immediately upon its release went to join its pair in hugging Comic.

* * *

After a long, long moment, Comic finally pulled away, wiping a bit of cyan off his face. "Heh, ok... Introductions? Dad, you already know Frisk," Comic gestured to the human.

Comic's father smiled, nodding in probably both approval and an affirmative. { _We are acquaintances,_ } he signed primly.

Comic looked at Frisk. "Kiddo, this is Dr Wingdin Gaster, the former Royal Scientist, best known for inventing the CORE."

Gaster grinned wider. { _I am best known as the father of the two greatest monsters in the Underground_ }

Comic snorted, a faint dusting of blue heating his maxilla as he playfully shoved at Gaster's goopy shoulder. Black ooze squelched between his phalanges and metacarpals, but Comic couldn't bring himself to care. His dad was alive. He was a melted, goopy mute, but he was _alive_ and he was _back_ and that was all that mattered. Comic had his family back.

And it was all thanks to Frisk.

"What did he say?" The human asked, looking between them.

"He said 'it's goop to meet you,'" Comic said, like a liar.

Gaster shoved his son lightly, trying to scowl in mock irritation, and failing because his grin would not leave his face. It had been an eternity since he had heard his eldest make those stars-awful jokes. He had missed it. { _If I was going to use such wordplay, Sans, I would have said, 'thank you for lending me a hand,'} he signed._

Comic laughed, hugging himself and leaning closer to his father. Gaster let one hand alight on his shaking shoulders, helping to keep him from falling over.

"What??" Frisk whined, sinking to the ground. They were tired, and they were lost because they could only understand one side of the conversation, but they couldn't be happier. This was a victory. This was a win.

They had saved the mystery man. They had saved Gaster. And they had made Comic happier than they had seen him in... maybe ever.

Comic wiped a tear from his sockets. "So, you are never going to believe the week I've had," Comic said to Gaster.

Gaster raised a malleable bony brow. { _Oh, really? Try me._ }

Comic offered a hand. "Shortcut?"

Gaster paused, considering. He weighed the pros and cons of using a shortcut, which cut through the void, so after escaping it. He took stock of his condition: he was low on his own magic, so much so that it was worn down to the bare essentials of maintaining his corporeal form, and, given the state of his physicality, it was still unstable. His voice, which had once been smooth and crisp, now came out like grating static, another indicator that he wasn't in peak condition.

He wouldn't admit it to himself, but Gaster was somewhat nervous about going near the void again at all.

The monster shook his head. { _It is a beautiful day, how about we walk?_ }

Comic smiled, understanding flashing in his eyelights. "Yeah, ok. You're right. A walk sounds nice."

Frisk went to stand up, only to sink right back down to the ground. Their legs had decided that they weren't ready for a walk. Comic knelt down with his back to them, looking at them over his shoulder.

Frisk got the message, climbing onto his back and holding on.

Comic stood up slowly. Usually he was the one being carried, not the one doing the carrying. He gripped Frisk in BLUE magic, making them lighter. Frisk giggled when they felt it, knowing he was cheating.

Gaster watched with a thoughtful, knowing glint in his own eyelights. As the three set off back to Snowdin, the newly rescued monster considered how much his son had grown up since he had been lost.

* * *

Stretch hadn't had a chance to figure out where Comic had gone. The other had left too abruptly, shortcutting away without a word. Stretch sighed, leaning back into the couch and pulling out his phone. He first texted his brother, asking him what he thought about going to a party.

Blue didn't respond immediately. Stretch supposed he might be stuck in training or something, and couldn't reach his phone at the moment. Stretch knew his brother dropped everything for an actual phone call, because that was how he spoke with Alphys about his training. Texts, however, were strictly for mundane personal things, so he only checked those when he was done with whatever it was he was doing.

Stretch figured Blue would get back to him when it was convenient.

It wasn't long after that that Dance sent out a message in the group chat:

> GROUP CHAT  
>  **Dance:** its official  
>  **Dance:** The Machine (TM) is up and running  
>  **Dance:** everyone meet at comics  
>  **Dance:** after says the party starts in three hours  
>  **Slim:** wut party  
>  **Me:** the universe we are storing the machine in is called aftertale  
>  **Me:** the local papyrus is demanding payment for keeping the machine in the form of a mandatory social event  
>  **Slim:** & u named him after  
>  **Slim:** hes lik rus aint he  
>  **Dance:** yes he is  
>  **Dance:** says that we have to come with our brothers  
>  **Slim:** sweet c u @ comics n 3 ish  
>  **Me:** are you bringing the razzberry?  
>  **Slim:** mlord s cumn  
>  **Slim:** might also bring a new friend r 2 idk  
>  **Dance:** if he acts up there will be consequences  
>  **Slim:** same can b said 4 u darlin 

Stretch shook his head. He wasn't particularly keen on seeing Slim's brother again anytime soon, but... Slim believed in his brother. And Stretch believed in Slim. Stretch would trust that his friend would know how to handle it if things got messy. He did it before, after all.

Stretch sent Comic a text that he was going to get Blue. He reminded Comic to call up Rus after he found Frisk. Then he shortcut home.

He supposed it was called Underswap, wasn't it? What a weird name. Not that Stretch minded.

Stretch appeared in his livingroom. He heard his brother's voice upstairs, chipper and bright as he spoke to someone. Then Blue came dashing down the stairs.

Stretch raised his hand in greeting, a relieved grin on his face, only to get scooped up and thrown over Blue's shoulder like a potato sack.

"Sans?!" Stretch exclaimed, confused. Blue hadn't even slowed down, still sprinting full speed out the door and down the path towards Waterfall.

"I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU PAPPY!!" Blue said brightly. "DO YOU MIND IF WE WALK AND TALK??"

Stretch clung to his brother for dear life, feeling a little nauseous. He was moving way too fast.

"GREAT!!" Blue responded without prompting, seemingly oblivious to Stretch's discomfort. "I NOTICED YOUR TEXT EARLIER!! WHAT WAS IT ABOUT??"

Stretch closed his eyes, swallowing down the lump in his nonexistent throat. He made himself relax, going limp. Blue wouldn't drop him. He didn't have anything to worry about. It was fine. His brother was just excited about something. "It... uh... was about a party in another universe... We're both invited."

"OH!! A PARTY!!! WONDERFUL!!! WHEN IS IT??" Blue sounded even more excited than Stretch had expected.

"Three hours or so..."

"LETS GO RIGHT NOW THEN!!" Blue said, slowing down. "DO THE WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO AND LETS GO!!"

"Now??" Stretch parroted, looking up as Blue came to a full stop.

"NOW!" Blue said eagerly. "WAIT, NO, FIRST WE NEED TO PREPARE!! SO CAN YOU TAKE US BACK TO THE HOUSE?? WITH YOUR SPACE-TIME JAPERY??"

Stretch chuckled. "Sure, bro... One sec..." He rubbed his face, giving his magic a moment to stop spinning and fizzing like a shaken soda can. Then he shortcut himself and Blue back to the livingroom.

Blue gingerly set Stretch on the couch, looking apologetic like he only just noticed how shaken up his brother was, then skipped to the front door and locked it. "OK!! I NEED TO MAKE A QUICK PHONECALL!! YOU HEAD UP TO THE BATHROOM AND STRIP OUT OF THOSE DIRTY CLOTHES!!" He grinned at Stretch. "I KNOW YOU WILL WANT TO WEAR THEM OUT SO I'M GOING TO WASH THEM WHILE YOU SHOWER."

"I could just shower while wearing them, wash them and me at once," Stretch offered.

"THAT IS BOTH LAZY AND INEFFICIENT!! THE SOAP YOU USE FOR BONES IS NOT THE SAME YOU USE FOR CLOTHES!! YOU WOULD RUIN THE COLORS!! AND ALSO NOT GET ALL OF YOURSELF CLEAN!! I KNOW WHAT YOU EAT PAPPY AND SURGAR IS VERY STICKY!! YOU NEED A PROPER BATH EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE!!"

Stretch smiled wryly. "Didn't think of that. You're so cool, bro."

"MWEH HEH HEH!! OF COURSE I AM!!" Blue struck a heroic pose, then made shooing motions. Stretch got the hint and headed upstairs. He just caught the start of Blue's phonecall conversation (making a report to Alphys, probably also asking for official off-time, knowing his brother) before the bathroom door swung shut behind him.

Stretch carefully emptied his pockets onto the bathroom sink, chuckling at the contents. His honey, his broken comb, his fuzzy-eyebrow glasses, his phone, his three whoopee cushions and single joy buzzer, a tangled mess of earbuds and charging cables he didn't remember even having untangled... yup, thats everything. He stuffed it all in the cabinet under the sink to help protect it from water damage, then began to strip.

He was about to take off his shorts when the door opened and Blue stepped in. "PAPPY YOU BETTER NOT BE GOOFING OFF WITH THOSE SILLY GLASSES AGA-" Blue froze, his eyelights going from vibrant cyan stars to dim, white pinpricks. "Papyrus..?"

Stretch bristled. _Blue just used his full name. Was he angry?? What did he do???_ "Y-yeah bro?"

"Papyrus..." Blue stepped into the bathroom completely, closing the door with a gentle nudge of his foot, never taking his eyelights off of Stretch. "What. Is. That?"

Stretch didn't know what his brother was talking about. "W-what is what, bro?"

"Is that a scar?" Blue's voice came calm, flat, and a little scary.

Stretch immediately brought a hand up to his sternum, two phalanges ghosting over the place where he could still remember the searing pain of his deathblow. He hesitated, but eventually made himself look in the mirror.

There, in bright pinkish-orange, was a thin, jagged scar, a zig-zag line that completely encircled his upper ribs, dipping lower around his sides where the curved mouth of the bear trap had tapered off, biting him in two. It was broken up by his intercostal spaces, but the pattern was unmistakable and telling.

Stretch didn't know what to say.

"Papyrus..." Blue said, still in that low, calm voice that was far too reminiscent of a very angry Comic or Lust, "...I think maybe there is something you should tell me."

Stretch nodded dumbly, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. He didn't want to... he wanted to make a joke about it making him look tougher. He wanted to brush it off, to deflect with a pun and send his brother away screaming. He wanted to do just about anything than tell Blue the truth about what happened.

But, looking into Blue's eyelights, dim and colorless and all business, Stretch knew he would never get away with it.

* * *

Basking in the afterglow, Lust couldn't bring himself to move. Between the steady thrum of Red's magic from Lust's collar, the rhythmic, lazy scratches of Red's phalanges on his skull, and the ever-present rumble of Red's purring (which was the best ASMR), Lust was certain he was going to fall right to sleep.

Unfortunately, he had heard his and Red's phones go off some time ago, which probably meant it was the group chat. Lust might have been far too comfortable, snuggling into the joint of Red's shoulder, to get up and hunt for wherever the hell his vest had landed after getting tossed, but Red's coat was right within arms reach. Red snagged it lazily with one claw and dragged it close enough to rummage for his phone. Lust made a noise of protest, nibbling at Red's bare clavicle to try and distract him, wanting to drag the moment out longer. He felt Red's laughter as he tossed his coat aside again and looked at the messages on his phone with one hand, the other resuming its place on Lust ( _where it damn well belonged_ ).

"Party?" Red muttered gruffly. "Aftertale? Bring yer brothers? Th' fuck?"

Lust hummed an affirmative, nuzzling back into the comfortable spot in Red's side. "Yeah... After-rus wants to meet his new brothers... throwing a big welcome party to celebrate... Hard to say no to a guy like that..." Lust knew he was slurring his words, but he just didn't care. He felt way too good right now. He was comfortable and satiated and all he wanted was to stay right there, cuddled up to Red, for the rest of forever. Or at least until the party started. Then they could go back to Aftertale and Lust could snuggle into Red there. If Lust was going to wear a collar drenched in Red's magic, then he could also sleep in his lap whenever he wanted. That was the law. Or at least it should be.

Red snorted, but his expression was still soft. "Have fun with that. Lemme know how it goes."

"You are coming too," Lust huffed, amused.

"Nah."

"Yes you are."

"Nope."

"Why not."

"Not leavin' boss t' go t' some dumb party." Red's voice was low, like he didn't want to admit it.

Lust nipped gently at Red's nearest rib. "You're supposed to bring him too, sweetie."

Red clicked his teeth thoughtfully, then began typing away furiously. Then he held the screen up so Lust could read.

> **Me:** hey boss wanna crash a party  
>  **Boss:** WHY THE FUCK WOULD I WANT TO GO TO ONE OF YOUR DISGUSTING DRUG SOCIALS?!?!?  
>  **Me:** nah its a party with the freexp in another universe  
>  **Boss:** I AM THE GODDAMN CAPTAIN FOR FUCKS SAKE!! MY ASS IS THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE BAREST FUCKING SHRED OF ORDER IN THIS SHITHOLE AND YOU WANT ME TO GO OFF BOONDOGGLING WITH FREEXP ACROSS FUCKING SPACE AND TIME???!!!  
>  **Me:** maybe  
>  **Boss:** WHAT THE FUCK HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!?!?!?  
>  **Me:** nothing nevermind

Lust rolled his eyelights. "Sweetie, I really think you should try a bit harder..."

"Why th' fuck should I?"

"Because..." Lust grinned. "The barrier in Aftertale is broken. The party is going to be on the surface."

Red's eyelights guttered out. He stared at Lust, expression morphing from fury, to contemplation, to shock. He then dialed a number.

Lust could hear Edge's voice when he answered. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT NOW?!?!"

"Get yer ass home. We're fuckin' movin'," Red said in a voice Lust had never heard from him before. It almost sounded like a big-brother voice.

"IS THE HOUSE COMPROMISED??" Edge sounded annoyed, but more willing to listen.

"Nah, just found some prime real estate. We're moving t' another universe. To-fuckin'-day."

"FOR-FUCKING-GET IT!!" Edge snapped. "I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS BULLSHIT!! STOP FUCKING BOTHERING ME WHILE I'M AT WORK!!"

"Shut th' fuck up an' get yer ass back in this goddamn house 'r so fuckin' help me I will hunt ya down with a fuckin' net an' drag ya outa this hellhole kickin' an' screamin'."

"I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU FUCKING TRY!!!"

"Fine!!" Red slammed the phone shut.

As Red threw himself off the bed, throwing on his clothes with speed to match his trash tornado, Lust sat frozen, his mind still trying to process what he just heard.

"Get yer ass dressed an' go t' this aftertale place. I'll meet ya there," Red barked. Then he was gone.

Lust still didn't know what just happened.

* * *

Chara waited until they saw Dance finish his work on the machine before standing up. As Dance started texting on his phone, (perhaps telling the others that the machine was back online), Chara gathered their DETERMINATION. They had to set their plan in motion.

They thought of the scent of italian spices mixed with blood, taking a shortcut back into a familiar and yet unfamiliar livingroom.

Conveniently, a certain skeleton was napping on the couch.

"Hello again," Chara said pleasantly.

The Sans jerked awake, snatching at the ax within arms reach with one hand and his right eyesocket with the other, his single red eyelight dilating and then contracting from shock. Chara held their hands up in a gesture to show they meant no harm. Sans was still tense, but he lowered his weapon. "You came back... didn't think you would."

"I don't make promises if I don't intend to keep them," the human said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not what I meant," Sans chuckled. "Didn't think humans could survive losing that much blood... or regrow limbs." He gestured at Chara's very much un-severed leg.

Chara shrugged. "Most of them can't. I just know a few lifehacks."

"Gonna share one about how to deal with starvation?"

Chara smiled. "Perhaps. I have a... proposition. And while it won't solve all of your problems, it might help you out a little bit."

Sans grinned wider. "I'm listening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ GOOP DAD!!!! <3 HE IS SAVED!!!!!!!  
> ...and he ships it.
> 
> ~ oh... oh dear... seems FEAR plays a big role in HorrorTale. FEAR makes scars remain after death.
> 
> ~ and it seems we have a very angry protective brother Sansi-type... has this triggered Disbelief Swap!Sans? 0-0 Horror!Sans better hope not
> 
> ~ pfffft Lust omg you are so lazy when you're not horny
> 
> ~ red can pretend all he wants that he doesn't give a damn about edge but when presented with the option he will always chose the one that keeps him closer/safer
> 
> ~ also wow red you hate your whole universe enough to jump ship first chance you get. i think it just occurred to him that now he has options
> 
> ~ hehehe underfell monsters show affection very aggressively. red is very aggressive in his desire to make edge's life better. his martyr plan is a bust so now he has a new plan -- the "fuck this shit i'm out" plan. only edge has to come with him. too bad edge is an INTEGRITY type and sure as hell won't leave anyone he happens to like behind (like his fish and his flower)
> 
> ~ alt pov for red’s [plan “fuk dis shit we out”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/34191962) now available
> 
> ~ skeletons know shortcuts. humans know lifehacks.
> 
> ~ Chara whAt ARe YOU dOiNG?!?!?!?! ~~this can only end well right~~


	47. Afterparty (Pt 4) The Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gathering Begins. Also some feelings are felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an AfterParty cuz an AfterParty don't stop!!_
> 
> pfffft
> 
> I know this is a little short but I wanted to end it here for reasons, one of which being that I have work in the morning and need to start winding down.

Dance hardly noticed when the human left, first focusing on letting the others know about the machine, then staring at his contacts. Or, more specifically, at the newest addition to his contacts. One one that he had already sent joke after joke to, every spare moment he could manage.

_Tori._

Well, small Tori. The short, anxious Toriel from that one universe, that liked whip cream.

He already got the green light from After-rus. He just had to make his fingers work.

It was a good solid minute before Dance managed to start typing at all, and a solid five before he managed to send the first message.

> **Me:** hey  
>  **Creamy:** hey  
>  **Me:** we got our machine working  
>  **Creamy:** oh really? congratulations! that means you can go home!  
>  **Me:** yeah  
>  **Me:** and i can visit  
>  **Me:** not without being invited i wouldnt just intrude out of the void or anything  
>  **Me:** but if you wanted i could swing by for maybe lunch or something  
>  **Creamy:** that sounds like fun  
>  **Creamy:** but only if you have the time  
>  **Creamy:** don't stress out or anything its totally ok if you can't come  
>  **Creamy:** not that i don't like the idea  
>  **Creamy:** just no pressure 

Dance had to fight down the frantic flutter of his SOUL. He had been worried that she wouldn't want to see him ever again. After all, he hadn't exactly made the best first impression (no thanks to Red). Just because she was okay with being pen-pals didn't mean she was okay with seeing his ugly mug.

Now, for the next part.

> **Me:** actually i have some other news too  
>  **Creamy:** ???  
>  **Me:** we're having this party  
>  **Me:** to celebrate the machine being fixed  
>  **Me:** and because the guys who are going to house it for us want to  
>  **Me:** i kinda have to go  
>  **Me:** and they want to meet everyone so i gotta bring my brother  
>  **Me:** and i mentioned you  
>  **Me:** and no pressure or anything but i was wondering if you wanted to come too?  
>  **Me:** you can even bring asgore? 

Dance waited for a reply, each second that went by more nerve wracking than the last. He started to think he had messed up by even proposing it in the first place. _She had anxiety, of course she wouldn't want to go to a party, where there would be so many people she didn't know!_ Dance tried to back pedal, maybe fix his mistake.

> **Me:** i'm sorry that idea was dumb  
>  **Me:** you probably have better things to do  
>  **Me:** sorry forget i said anything  
>  **Me:** did you hear the story about the mushroom man?  
>  **Me:** he's a real fungi 

Dance leaned into the wall, hiding the screen of his phone in his chest and pulling his hood down over his eyelights, a part of him hoping if he hid from the world maybe nobody would realize what an unparalleled screw-up he was.

Then his phone buzzed. Dance dropped it in surprise, scrambling to catch it midair before it hit the ground. It buzzed a few more times as he fumbled with it. He froze, stuck in a pose not unlike that of a clumsy arabesque, the instant he had a grip onto it securely, chest heaving from his analogue for adrenaline. He carefully, slowly, lowered himself into a protective crouch, and looked at the message.

> **Creamy:** ZOMG YES WE WOULD LOVE TO COME!!!  
>  **Creamy:** I WILL BE DRESSED AND READY SOON AND ALSO BRING MY AMAZING BROTHER  
>  **Creamy:** WINK  
>  **Creamy:** ALSO I THINK YOU ARE SUPER CUTE AND FUNNY EVEN THOUGH YOUR JOKES ARE AWFULHDFOFVMCGDUTNFGKDCH  
>  **Creamy:** i am so sorry  
>  **Me:** can you be ready in an hour?  
>  **Creamy:** yeah  
>  **Me:** see you then?  
>  **Creamy:** yeah  
>  **Me:** cool  
>  **Creamy:** cool  
>  **Me:** cool  
>  **Creamy:** cool 

Dance allowed himself a moment to devolve into nervous laughter, clutching at his hoodie as his grin stretched painfully wide on his face. He made a mental note to thank Gory properly as he shortcut home, going to get his own brother for what he anticipated to be the craziest get together he had ever attended.

* * *

Comic told Gaster all about what had happened since that day: about going to Grillby's expecting to wake up in his own bed again, and seeing the others for the first time; about going to other dimensions and seeing how very different the world could have been; about getting to know everyone bit by bit. He left out more of the narrative than he told, but that was on purpose. There were things that just weren't important anymore.

Gaster, for his part, listened attentively, asking questions when something sparked his interest. He was especially interested in the discoveries they had made regarding the link between magic and human traits, grinning at Frisk thoughtfully, considering. Gaster was a scientist down to his SOUL, insatiably curious. A (rather large) part of him itched to experiment. One look from his son, however, dismissed the idea. Gaster reached out and patted Frisk's head, amused.

It would be far more gratifying to use them in a more social experiment anyway.

It was a good thing Comic had so many stories to tell, as the walk back to Snowdin was made significantly slower and longer by Gaster's complete lack of legs. The scientist found he had quite a bit of difficulty generating any kind of momentum.

Sans didn't mind. He wasn't in any real rush. Heck, with Frisk on his back, he could even say he had all the time in the world. He chuckled to himself about the irony.

It must have been more than an hour before they finally caught sight of the gleaming snow, and another ten minutes before they arrived at the front door. Sans let Frisk down. Gaster noticed the brief flicker of emotion on both of his companions’ faces (neither one of them had wanted the contact to end). Comic opened the front door and sauntered inside.

Stretch was there, expression thoughtful and knowing as he watched Blue admire the photos on the wall. He turned his head at the sound of the door, grinning in welcome at Comic. "Heya. Find them?"

"Yup." Comic beamed. "And someone else too. Got my _hands_ full now."

Stretch raised a bone brow in silent question. Blue, meanwhile, spun around with a predictably wide smile. "HELLO AGAIN COMIC!!! AND-" He paused briefly upon seeing Frisk enter. "HELLO TO YOU, NEW HUMAN FRIEND!! I HAVE HEARD QUITE A LOT ABOUT YOU!!"

"You have?" Comic and Frisk asked at the same time.

"Sans," Stretch sighed, a badly concealed warning in his tone.

Blue grinned. "I HAVE!! PAPPY AND I HAD A LONG TALK!! IT IS VERY GOOD TO MEET YOU!! I HEARD YOU HAVE BEEN DOING BETTER!!"

Comic looked at Stretch, signing, { _What did you tell him??_ }

Stretch signed back, { _Most of it._ }

Blue offered his hand to Frisk. "I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS!!! BUT YOU MAY CALL ME BLUE! MWEH HEH HEH!!"

Frisk shook it, melting a little at how cute he was. They were surprised at how hard Blue squeezed their hand, just on the wrong side of painful, although nothing in his expression betrayed anything but delight in their meeting. They wrote it off as him being overly excited and not realizing his strength.

"YOU MUST BE TRYING VERY HARD!! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! I BELIEVE IN YOU, MY NEW HUMAN FRIEND!!"

Comic and Frisk both could have sworn they saw a flicker of gold in Blue's bright, starry eyelights, but it disappeared before either one of them could be certain. Blue let go of Frisk and struck a heroic pose.

Stretch smiled, taking a picture with his phone.

Gaster finally made it up the two steps outside, and started making his way through the front door.

Blue and Stretch both immediately tensed at seeing him, Blue's eyelights shrinking to tiny flashing pinpricks, his small frame moving immediately to get between Stretch and the door. His smile was a bit wider, but there was a hardness to it that reminded Comic a little of his own reflection.

Gaster grinned. { _Hello! You must be Sans as well! It is good too meet you! Greetings to you too, other Papyrus._ }

Comic felt the tension in the air like a lead weight. He coughed. "Heh, surprise. Frisk rescued dad from the void. Ain't it great??"

Blue looked hard at Comic for a moment, and again Comic swore he saw gold in that cyan gaze. Then Blue looked back at Stretch. They shared a look, nodding at each other. Blue looked back at Gaster, his grin softening and his eyelights returning to pulsing stars (although they were notably smaller than they had been before). "IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, OTHER DAD!! ARE YOU WELL?? YOU LOOK A LITTLE MELTY."

Gaster looked down at himself, smile turning wry. { _I do seem to lack a leg to stand on..._ }

Both Comic and Stretch snickered. Blue's eyelights turned briefly to starbursts, one socket crinkling. Frisk looked between them all, swearing inwardly that they were going to learn this sign language if it was the last thing they did.

Gaster looked Blue up and down. Then he looked at Comic. { _Interesting. I know this is not my son, but I am also simultaneously plagued by a compulsion to treat him as if he were. Have you noticed this phenomena?_ }

Comic snickered. "Sometimes. More with some than others."

"Speaking of others, did you call Rus?" Stretch asked.

Comic bristled. "Heh, oops. One sec..." He pulled his phone out, heading for the kitchen, where he could call his brother.

"WHO IS RUS??" Blue asked.

"Comic's brother," Stretch answered.

"IS HE ATTENDING THE PARTY TOO??"

"What party?" Frisk asked.

Stretch smirked. "Remember how we found another universe to hide the machine in? It's called Aftertale, and the Papyrus there wants to meet everyone as payment for keeping the machine for us."

Frisk perked up, but then wilted a bit, before smiling again. "You guys will have a lot of fun, I just know it."

"Not coming with us, kiddo?" Comic asked, coming back into the room.

Frisk shook their head. "If I leave, then... Flowey will take the RESET power back. Who knows what he might do while we're gone. And if I come back, my RESET point might change. Then I might not be able to fix it..."

Comic was about to say something, but thought better of it. Frisk had a point, and they knew more about their power than he did.

{ _I will remain behind and keep the human company,_ } Gaster assured his son, placing a hand on Frisk's shoulder.

Comic smiled. "Thanks, dad."

{ _My pleasure._ }

Stretch and Blue exchanged looks, smiles soft and nostalgic.

It was around that moment that Dance showed up, pulling his brother Suave along with him. Suave looked around, spinning gracefully. "WOWWIE!! ARE WE REALLY IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE??"

"Sure are, br-" Dance stopped, his eyelights guttering out the instant he saw Gaster.

Gaster waved, grinning.

Dance tapped one foot, a thick bass beat roaring to life as his left socket flashed a menacing cobalt and gold, rapid fire.

"SANS?!?!" Suave cried out, clearly alarmed.

"Dance!" Comic hissed, own eyelight glowing.

Stretch yanked Blue out of the way of three bone attacks that flew out from Dance's outstretched hand.

Comic thrust out a hand of his own, a wall of bones rising up and deflecting the projectiles with a great clash of magic. "What are you doing?!"

"Why did you stop me??" Dance demanded, that deep staccato beat still filling the air.

"You almost hurt him!" Comic snapped.

"That was the point!" Dance snapped back.

"SANS..?" Suave said, almost quietly.

Dance's music stopped dead, like a record with the needle ripped off. He spun to look back at his brother (who he had apparently forgotten was present). "Y-yeah bro?"

"SANS. THAT WASN'T YOUR SONG." Suave said it like there was a greater, more profound meaning behind it. From the way Dance flinched, there was. "THAT WAS NOT YOUR SONG. WHAT... HAPPENED?"

Dance pulled his hood up, hiding his face. He didn't say anything.

"SANS. WHAT. HAPPENED?" Suave reached out, gently alighting his hand on his brother's now quivering shoulders.

"Nothing, bro..." Dance shrugged. "Just a fluke. Maybe 'cause I got so mad. It happens sometimes, ya know?"

"NO, SANS, I DO NOT KNOW. IT SHOULD TAKE MORE THAN SOME SEEMINGLY INCONSEQUENTIAL SPIKE IN PEEVISHNESS TO CHANGE THE VERY CULMINATION OF YOUR BEING."

"Not inconsequential," Dance muttered petulantly. "Can we _not_ talk about this now?"

"AND WHEN EXACTLY WILL WE TALK ABOUT IT THEN??" Suave demanded to know. "DO NOT THINK FOR ONE MOMENT THAT I DO NOT KNOW YOUR TRICKS! YOU CAN KEEP YOUR LITTLE SECRETS AND HIDE YOUR TOMFOOLERY AWAY IN MYSTERIOUS BASEMENTS ALL YOU LIKE, BUT THIS IS ABOUT YOUR SOUL!! THIS IS ABOUT YOUR WELL BEING!!"

Each accusation made Dance cringe a little more into his hoodie. Stretch, on the couch, winced sympathetically; at least Blue had been a little gentler when he had given _him_ a startlingly similar lecture. Blue crossed his arms, nodding in approval. Comic watched silently, putting the pieces together in his head.

In the back, Gaster clasped his hands together, grinning. Even if they weren't his sons, seeing a Papyrus exhibit such affection for his brother warmed his fragmented SOUL.

"Ok, fine, it changed, I'm broken, I'm sorry, now just drop it, Papyrus!" Dance snapped a little harsher than he intended, using the hand not holding his hoodie over his face to shove Suave's hand off his quivering shoulders.

Suave, unperturbed, knelt down and pulled Dance into his arms, into a warm, understanding hug. "BEING HURT IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING BROKEN, BROTHER." Dance did not say a word, just stood there, hiding his face and his shaking in the silky white of his brother's dress shirt. When his shaking stilled, and his shallow ragged breathing quieted, Suave looked up and grinned. "I AM VERY SORRY, GOOPY PERSON AND OTHER BROTHER. PLEASE FORGIVE SANS. HE IS A GOOD MONSTER, EVEN IF HE IS A BIT RASH AT TIMES."

"Is he okay?" Stretch asked quietly.

Suave looked down at Dance, who was slowly gathering his composure, descretely wiping moisture from his face. "YES AND NO. BUT HE WILL BE OKAY. BECAUSE SANS IS STRONG, EVEN IF HE DOES NOT THINK SO."

"I'm right here," Dance huffed.

"YES! YOU ARE RIGHT HERE!!" Suave agreed. "WHICH IS A GOOD THING!! HOWEVER IF I REMEMBER RIGHT YOU SAID YOU HAD TO GO PICK UP SOMEONE ELSE??"

"Yeah..." Dance started pulling away from Suave. When he pulled his hood down, there was no sign that anything had happened (not that anyone expected there to be). Dance glared at Gaster with a hateful smile. "If I come back and there is one speck out of place on my brother's skull, you're gonna have a bad time."

Gaster blinked, surprised. He wasn't given time to answer before Dance shortcut away.

Suave sighed, rubbing his face. "I TRULY AM SORRY. USUALLY I WOULD NOT CONDONE MAKING A SCENE BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO CATCH HIM IN A POSITION WHERE HE WILL LISTEN TO ME. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE AND AWKWARDNESS."

"WE UNDERSTAND!!" Blue sympathized. "YOUR BROTHER'S WELL BEING COMES FIRST AND FOREMOST BEFORE DECORUM!! THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED!!" Blue glanced meaningfully at Stretch, who looked away.

Gaster nodded, agreeing with Blue whole-heartedly. Even if he had almost been empaled by an alternate version of his beloved son (and didn't that just raise questions about his own alternate self?) he was very pleased to see such sibling loyalty and affection.

Suave grinned, standing back up to his full height. "THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!!"

* * *

Suave and Blue hit it off immediately, beginning a card game that Frisk joined in on. Gaster watched from his seat on the couch, next to Comic. Stretch sat on Comic's other side, eyeing Gaster with the flickering shadow of nervousness on his face. Blue occasionally glanced up at the three on the couch, checking on them with a reassuring grin.

Thats how Rus found everyone when he came home, bouncing with excitement. "SANS!! HAVE YOU SHOWERED YET??"

Comic looked up. "Welcome home bro. Why would I shower?"

"WE ARE GOING TO A PARTY!!" Rus said as if that explained everything.

"Yup."

"SANS. GO WASH UP. WE MUST MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!!"

"It would be a second impression though," Comic reasoned.

"EVEN MORE REASON TO BE IMPRESSIVE!! WHICH MEANS CLEAN!! GO WASH!!!"

Comic shrugged, standing up. "Alright bro. Just figured you would want to go first."

"UNDYNE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO LEND ME HER SHOWER!! NOW YOU GO USE OURS!!"

Comic snickered, but slunk upstairs. "Oh, and bro? Dads home."

"DAD??" Rus looked around. "WE HAVE A DAD??"

Blue raised a bone brow, looking at Rus, then at Gaster, then at Stretch as though asking for an explanation. Stretch shrugged, just as confused as his brother. Suave was curious, a thoughtful look on his face.

Gaster smiled sadly. He supposed it was to be expected that he be forgotten, given the circumstances.

Comic gestured at Gaster. "Yup. One of those secrets I kept from you. Surprise, bro. Thats Gaster, our dad."

Rus spun around, eyelights sparkling in oranges and greens. "WOWWIE!!" He immediately dove in for a hug, wrapping his long arms around Gaster's melted frame and nuzzling. "IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU SECRET DAD!! I AM PAPYRUS!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! BUT EVERYONE CALLS ME RUS NOW!! BECAUSE!! THAT IS SHORT FOR PAPYRUS!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

Gaster hugged his younger son back, stroking his skull. His malleable body quivered with delight. Comic allowed himself one more moment to watch, grinning, before going all the way upstairs and starting his quick, lazy shower.

Suave looked at Blue. "IF THAT IS OTHER ME AND OTHER YOU'S FATHER... AND OTHER YOU IS MY BROTHER AND OTHER ME IS YOUR BROTHER... DOES THAT MAKE GOOPY PERSON OUR FATHER TOO??"

Blue blinked, looking back at Gaster, his eyelights swirling like little gears as he focused on thinking. "MAYBE??"

Gaster perked up at the idea, eyelights shining delightedly. _He would adopt **all** the skeletons._ For science, obviously. Not other non-science related reasons.

Rus pulled out of the hug, grinning over at Suave and Blue. "I AM SORRY!! I DO NOT THINK WE WERE PROPERLY INTRODUCED??"

Stretch chuckled. "Thats my bro. We're calling him Blue. And thats Dance's bro, Suave."

Rus beamed. "WELCOME, NEW BROTHERS!!!" Then Rus looked around. "WHERE IS SALTY BROTHER?? AND AFFECTIONATE BROTHER, GRUMPY BROTHER, AND SMOKY ME??"

Suave clutched his teeth, shaking with silent laughter: he knew _exactly_ who Rus was talking about.

Stretch shrugged. "Errands, probably. Slim said he'd show up. No word from Lust or Red though..."

Blue's eyes sparked. "SUAVE!! HAVE YOU TRIED ASKING LUST FOR A MASSAGE?? IT IS AMAZING!"

Suave raised a bone brow. "NO, I HAVE NOT!! I DID NOT KNOW HE COULD!! I DID DANCE WITH HIM THOUGH! HE IS RATHER GOOD, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE CLEARLY LACKS FORMAL TRAINING!!"

"Am I allowed to listen to this? Is this supposed to be little brother gossip I'm not privy to?" Stretch teased.

"WE ARE THE SAME AGE PAPPY SO ITS OK IF YOU LISTEN!! BUT YOU HAVE TO SWEAR TO KEEP IT SECRET!!" Blue said cheerfully, a playful glint in his triangular spinning eyelights before they morphed back into stars.

Stretch mimed zipping lips he didn't have, snickering at the shocked look on Suave's and Rus' faces.

"YOU TWO ARE THE SAME AGE?? WOWWIE!!" Rus exclaimed.

Stretch shrugged, still grinning. "I said he was my _little_ brother, not my _younger_ one." He grinned wider. "Although he's technically that too."

"TWO MINUTES IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU THE BIG BROTHER!" Blue whined, eyes dancing delightedly; this was an old argument that neither one really cared who won.

"Nah, my height does that."

"NOT FAIR!!"

"Should have drunk your milk, bro."

Gaster was thankful his voice was not functioning properly: if it was, he would have made an unacceptably embarrassing squealing noise. He gripped Rus' hand beside him, giving the human a glance he hoped conveyed all the gratitude his words could not. From the smile he got in return, he believed at least some of it reached them.

* * *

Lust grabbed his brother's hand, squeezing it gently. Pink slowly, carefully, took hold of Mettaton's hand, grin spreading wider on his own face. Lust knew better than to touch Mettaton himself -- it had taken a while for the robot to allow Pink such casual contact, and Lust wasn't going to overstep the boundaries Mettaton had set.

Lust was honestly surprised Mettaton even wanted to come. He knew the robot wasn't a fan of parties. He honestly wasn't a fan of crowds of any kind, not anymore. Pink, however, was apparently very persuasive, and wanted to include Mettaton in the event. To Pink, Mettaton was family.

He was family to Lust too, actually. Anyone who made his brother that happy was family in his book.

Lust waited for Mettaton to give him the signal before pulling them all through the shortcut into Aftertale. He made sure to land them both in the throneroom underground. "Ok, so... there might be a small little detail I left out of the story..."

"WHAT DETAIL??" Pink asked, giving his boyfriend's hand a gentle squeeze when he felt him tense up.

"And... why are we in... the throne room?" Mettaton looked around, curious and a tad confused.

Lust grinned, spinning on his heals and heading for the exit. "Follow me? Trust me, you'll understand~"

"SANS THIS BETTER NOT BE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR PRANKS!" Pink warned, but followed after.

Mettaton was the first to catch on, gripping Pink's hand tighter and sprinting forward with a startled gasp the instant he saw the distant light. Lust continued at a leisurely pace, shortcutting to the cliff outside after allowing them a head start.

He wanted to see their faces when they saw the sun for the first time.

Robot and skeleton burst out of the darkness of the cave, both cringing and wincing at the harsh glare. Lust winced sympathetically, but nothing could dampen the joy he got from giving them this. It might be temporary, it might be for only a single day. But Lust was giving his brother the sun and the sky.

"SANS...! WE'RE..!" Pink couldn't figure out where to look: at the endless expanse of blue, at the rolling green below the cliff, at the shining towers of metal and glass in the distance. He took a deep breath of the chill mountain air that clawed at his fevered magic, deciding that he would close his eyes and just _feel_ the moment.

Mettaton covered his mouth, eyes wide, a single rivulet of neon pink trailing down his cheek. "We're on the surface..!"

The two could only stand there and try to breath through the sheer awe they were crushed under.

Lust gripped his new collar absently, purring softly at the spark of Red's magic it ignited. This was the best day of his life. He had never known it was possible to feel this happy.

The only thing that could possibly make this moment better was if Red (and, ok, everyone else, but especially Red) were here to share it with.

That was when Lust swore he heard approaching footsteps. And screaming. He turned, looking back at the cave.

" _Paps **slow the fuck down!!!**_ " Came a familiar voice that sounded like a slightly-gruffer Comic.

"DON'T FROWN BROTHER!!!"

"Not _frown_ , I said _slow **down**!!_ "

The next thing Lust knows, he is watching as a terrifyingly tall Papyrus with crooked yellow teeth, carrying a Sans under his arm that was splattered with bloodstains and had a huge hole in his skull, came dashing out of the cave...

" _Papyrus **the ledge!!!**_ "

"WHAT HEDGE??"

...and ran right over the edge of the cliff, full speed, the wind from their passing nearly knocking Pink and Mettaton over.

" _God damn it, Papyrusssssssssss!!!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ watching dance and tori talk/flirt is like watching two alphys' or napstablooks fumble around each other and its adorable as fuck fite me its my favorite soriel now
> 
> ~ Dance you fucking awkward dork how can someone with so much agility and grace be such a fucking dweeb i can't i can't i'm writing this and i just can't AAAAAAAAAAAAAA (i literally had to take an hour long break because i couldn't stand how goddamn cute this was)
> 
> ~ "arabesque" is a move/position in ballet.
> 
> ~ big brother Gory ships it and he is a little stinker
> 
> ~ oh dear, i think stretch might have mentioned how frisk went a little off their rocker and nearly sliced him open.
> 
> ~ that was an odd reaction swapbros what was that about i wonder hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
> 
> ~ oh shit does blue know wingdings jfc blue you are barely in this story and we know nothing about you what sorcery is this how are you so cool
> 
> ~ ya know, Dance is always bitching about how violent Red is, but this is the second time dance's first reaction was to attack someone in this fic... whereas red has only done that once (undyne and those dogs don't count, they started it)... I think Dance really likes to project. or he's a shameless hypocrite  
> wonder why hes so upset at gaster tho
> 
> ~ AAAAAAAAAAND there it is!! THERE IS THE REASON DANCE DOESNT LIKE DANCING ANYMORE!!  
> His SOUL song CHANGED. His SOUL song CHANGED and now he associates dancing with FIGHTing and he is so goddamn ashamed because before the change (when his song was still ["song that might play when you fight sans"](https://soundcloud.com/angrysausage/toby-fox-undertale-28)) his song and his brother's song shared a motif. now that his song is ["megalovania"](https://soundcloud.com/angrysausage/toby-fox-undertale), he doesn't share a motif with his brother and he is so goddamn bitter and hateful and ashamed about it.
> 
> ~ Suave is 1010% aware that Dance is a repressed grouch with a stick up his butt. he loves him anyway. that doesn't mean he will let him get away with being rude or not telling him about important life changes like HIS SOUL SONG CHANGING because there could be health repercussions
> 
> ~ just to be clear, suave isn't upset about the change -- sometimes songs change and thats not a bad thing in and of itself. people grow and evolve. thats normal. what isn't normal is hiding that it changed, because knowing dance like suave does, he knows it means the change came because something bad happened that he doesn't wanna share or deal with. which isn't healthy.
> 
> ~ gaster in the back sailing the skelebromance hurt/comfort fluff XD he's so fucking chill and happy and proud
> 
> ~ IT IS FINALLY OFFICIALLY CANON!! my swapbros are TWINS!! (fraternal twins)
> 
> ~ horrortale!paps got a little too excited.


	48. Afterparty (Pt 5) Catering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!_
> 
> There is a bit of a snag in the plans, but everyone handles it better than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short.  
> Its harder to write a sizable chapter in a single day when you have other things to do too. Like going out and eating with your god-mother who is super awesome for mother's day.
> 
> I still have to do my mom's plants at some point too but clearly that isn't happening today lol.
> 
> Here have this garbage.

Lust, Pink, and Mettaton watched in horror as the two skeleton monsters plummeted over the cliff and down to the forest below. Pink and Lust both tried reaching out with their BLUE magic, to grip onto the large Papyrus, but neither one of them could seem to get a grip: they were moving too fast and soon enough were out of their range.

Chara came dashing out of the cave moments later, panting. They sank to their knees near the cliff edge. "SANS?! PAPYRUS?!?!"

There was a loud thump. The screaming stopped.

Lust and Chara exchanged brief looks before they both shortcut down into the trees.

The tall Papyrus was in the center of a sizable crater, his feet spread wide on either side as he balanced on them flat, crouched so that his one arm (the one not still holding his very distressed, shaking brother) was able to reach out and balance him further, his tattered red mitten flush with the earth. He had _landed on his feet_.

"NYEH HEH HEH!! A PERFECT LANDING!!! AS TO BE EXPECTED OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!"

"Put me down," the Sans pleaded, softly, almost whining. He was so rattled his bones shook hard enough to clack together.

"IT'S SO BRIGHT!!!" The Papyrus exclaimed, like he only just noticed it. "AND GREEN!!! AND THE RIVER IS RUNNING ON THE CEILING!!!"

"My life flashed before my eyes..." The Sans muttered to himself, one hand coming up to hook into his right eye socket and _tug_. He was still shaking, his remaining eyelight shrunken and dim.

"WAIT... RIVERS DO NOT HAVE GIANT BLINDING LIGHTBULBS... SANS!! SANS!! WHAT IS THAT?!?!?"

"God damn it, Papyrus, I'm kinda traumatized here, give me a minute!!!"

"DON'T BE SO THEATRIC!!!"

"Ya mean, 'dramatic'."

"WHEN DID YOU HAVE THE TIME TO FIND DRUMS?!?!"

"No, _'dramatic'_! Ya meant _'dramatic'_!"

"IS THAT WHAT THAT CLICKING NOISE IS??"

"No, that's my bones rattling after ya _jumped off a mountain!!!_ "

"THEN WHERE ARE THE DRUMS??"

" ** _There are no fucking drums!!!_** "

"Oh, thank god, they're okay..!" Chara gasped, sighing in relief as they clutched their shirt, willing the adrenaline rush to ebb. 

Lust ran forward, still tense and worried. He skidded down the slope of the crater (it was only a few feet deep, but still), running up to the tall Papyrus and very agitated Sans. "Are you hurt??"

"NO!! I AM PAPYRUS!!! BUT THANK YOU FOR ASKING TINY BROTHER!!" The tall Papyrus answered pleasantly. Then he froze, doing a double take, dropping his brother out of shock. "SANS?!?!"

The dropped skeleton landed face-first in the grassy dirt. He pushed himself, shaking his head to dislodge dirt clots from his sockets. "What the hell?!"

"SANS, THERE IS TWO OF YOU!!"

The other Sans looked at Lust. Lust looked back, grinning wider to keep from wincing at the sight of the huge hole in his skull. Had Lust seen a wound like that a month ago, he might very well have fainted, or thrown up, or both. Now he was able to at least keep his composure, hooking the thumb of his right hand in his jacket pocket, while his left hand tugged on his collar. "Heya sweetie~ I'm used to guys _falling_ for me at first sight, but I wasn't expecting you to fall quite so far~"

The other Sans looked Lust up and down. His grin twitched. "Heh... wasn't expecting an ego _trip_..."

"TWO SANS!! NOW I WILL HAVE TO WORK TWICE AS HARD!!!" The tall Papyrus lamented. "BUT THIS STILL DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE GIANT CEILING RIVER LIGHTBULB!!"

Chara grinned. "Its not a river or a lightbulb: the surface has no ceiling. Thats the sky, and the sun."

The tall Papyrus looked back up, squinting in the bright light. "THIS IS A VERY ELABORATE JAPE."

"Its not a jape," Chara insisted. "I told you I would get you guys to the surface, and I have."

"It..." The Sans started really looking around, tugging at his empt socket. "It can't really be..." He stood up, shuffling over to the edge of the crater, and kneeling down to play with the grass. "I... grass... and the sun..." A gust of wind wound through the trees, pulling at his worn blue jacket. His one good eyelight expanded and contracted at irregular intervals, in response to thoughts flitting through his head, memories that came and went too fast to really register, too garbled and distorted and broken to understand.

Except he did understand one thing: this was something you could not fake.

"Paps, we're on the surface."

"OF COURSE WE ARE!! I KNEW THAT!!" The tall papyrus agreed, clearly humoring his brother. "THE SURFACE WITH ITS BIG CEILING RIVER AND RIVER LIGHTBULB AND CLEAN FRESH AIR AND WEIRD TREES!!"

"And food." Two simple words spoken almost reverently, desperately, pleadingly.

"YES AND-" The Papyrus paused, then his face morphed from agreeability to shock to genuine delight. "AND FOOD!!!"

The brothers turned to each other, and then the Sans threw himself into his brother's arms. Papyrus spun his brother around, and they both started laughing.

Lust wasn't certain if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"SANS???" A distant yell came from above; it was Pink, his voice tinged with worry.

"CHARA???" Another yell, a younger voice. The human looked up, eyes widening.

Turning back to the horrortale brothers, Chara smiled. "I'll be right back, ok? Then I'll take you to the party early, and get you introduced to the host."

"YES!!! TINY FLUFFYBUNS WILL WANT TO COME AS WELL!!" The Papyrus said, still hugging his brother with everything he had. It was starting to become too much for the Sans, who was now kicking his legs and wheezing in his attempts to pull away.

"I'll go get them," Lust offered. "If you don't mind?" He gestured at the brothers, indicating as politely as possible that the Sans there might need a little help.

Chara caught on, nodding.

Lust looked back at the brothers. "See ya later, sugar~" He purred, winking at the tall Papyrus, before shortcuting back to the cliff. "You called~?"

Pink, Mettaton, and a goat monster no taller than Lust all turned away from the ledge, focusing on him. "SANS!! IS EVERYTHING OKAY DOWN THERE?? THOSE TWO-"

"A-okay, bro. Landed on his feet and everything. They're celebrating right now."

"Is Chara there too?" The goat monster asked.

"Sure is. Human is fine," Lust said, reassuringly. "Gonna take us all down there, if thats okay?" He offered his hand.

The goat monster flinched back. "You mean through those shortcut things?? Uh..." He looked a little sick. "No thanks... I'll walk..."

Lust smiled knowingly. "We can take the bus? Its just down the mountain, that way," He pointed. "Call Chara and let them know thats the plan, and we can meet up at the house."

Looking far more comfortable with that idea, the goat pulled out his phone and texted his sibling.

"By the way, whats your name?" Mettaton asked.

"Me? Why, I am the Absolute God of Hyperdeath! The Protector of All Monsters, Asriel Dreemurr!!" The goat said happily, striking a proud pose before resuming his texting. "...In Snowdin, anyway. But soon it will be All Monsters, everywhere!"

Mettaton, Pink, and Lust exchanged looks. "Dreemurr??" Lust asked, confused. "Any relation to Toriel? Or Asgore?"

"You know my parents??" Asriel asked, looking back up at them.

The three Underlust monsters all felt a melancholy pang in their SOULs. Pink clutched at Mettaton's hand a little tighter. Mettaton bit his lip, looking at his boyfriend as he squeezed back. Lust gripped his collar tighter. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was the reason, the pivotal change, that had made his world turn so drastically different than the others.

It was strange to see with his own eyes how a single life could change the world.

Lust shook himself out of his melancholy, turning to look down the mountain path he had transversed earlier that same day. "This way! You'll get to see some of the scenery too!" Pink and Mettaton began to follow him.

Asriel finished with one last text before scrambling after his new acquaintances. "And who are you guys??"

Lust looked over his shoulder. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. But you can call me Lust."

"Sans?!?! Like, like KING SANS??" Asriel gasped.

Lust laughed. Pink snickered. Mettaton looked amused. "I'm certainly not royalty!"

"SANS IS A ROYAL PAIN SOMETIMES, BUT HE IS CERTAINLY NOT FIT FOR KINGLY DUTIES!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN HE SLACKS OFF SO MUCH JUST AT HIS SENTRY STATION!!" Pink scoffed, looking at his brother affectionately.

Lust snorted. "Good one, bro."

"Bro??" Asriel parroted.

Lust smiled. "Thats my little brother, Papyrus, although everyone's taken to calling him Pink."

Pink grinned. "IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, LITTLE DREEMURR!!"

Asriel grinned back up at him. "It is nice to meet you too! And..." He looked at Mettaton. "You are..?"

The robot smiled. "I am Mettaton. It is a pleasure."

"Mettaton..." Asriel's brows furrowed together. "That sounds familiar..."

Lust decided he didn't care to think too hard about the implications of that comment right now.

Today, his thoughts were going to be on all the good things. He made sure his phone was ready, so he could record a bit of Asriel's reactions for Chara to see later. He knew what he would appreciate if their roles were reversed.

* * *

In a way, Chara was thankful that Lust had volunteered to look after their little brother for the time being, and grateful that they would be heading for the house by bus. This gave Chara a change to introduce the Horrortale brothers to After, Geno, and Paci without Rei being there. Chara probably hadn't thought it all the way through, bringing Rei at the same time, they had just wanted to pull their brother onto the surface as soon as possible.

This was working out pretty well, though.

Chara took hold of the two skeletons, and shortcut to the Aftertale brothers' house. After-rus was in the kitchen, busy cooking in the kitchen behind a closed door, sealing in the smell. Geno and Paci were on the couch.

The two Sans' took one look at the Horrortale brothers and went on alert.

"What happened?!" Paci demanded to know, his eyelights guttered out as he gazed at the tall Papyrus' crooked, broken teeth, horrified.

The other Sans growled, gripping his socket as he looked at what he used to be, what seemed so long ago. "D r o p i t ." He warned, low and threatening, his red eyelight blown wide.

"WOWWIE!! EVEN MORE SANS!!! HELLO!!" The tall Papyrus greeted them pleasantly and enthusiastically, waving brightly. "I AM PAPYRUS!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

Geno clutched at his ratty red scarf, looking at the tall Papyrus' scarf which was in worse condition, if anything. He wanted to ask. He wanted to ask so badly. But he knew he couldn't.

"Guys," Chara interrupted, smiling. "This is Geno, and Paci. Their brother After is in there, and they're hosting the party. Geno, Paci, this is- uh..." They looked back at the Horrortale brothers. "You guys don't have nicknames yet, do you?"

"THAT OTHER AFFECTIONATE BROTHER CALLED ME SUGAR!! DOES THAT COUNT??" The Papyrus asked. His brother cringed at the memory, grinding his teeth.

Chara chuckled. "If you don't mind being called Sugar, I see no reason why not! It certainly fits, from what I've seen." In response, the tall Papyrus (now Sugar) beamed, striking a pose that would have been cute if his imposing frame and startling features hadn't detracted from the effect. As it was, it was still endearing.

Chara then turned to the irritable Sans. "And you? Have a preference for a nickname?"

The Sans tugged on his eye socket. "Don't care. Doesn't really matter. Whatever comes to mind first."

"'Axe' it is then," Chara said, a wry smile playing on their face. The Sans (Axe) snickered. They exchanged looks, the two of them amused by the shared inside (morbid) joke.

Paci wasn't certain he liked the implication.

Sugar, oblivious, grins. "THAT SUITS YOU PERFECTLY!! BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BIG ONE IN YOUR HEAD!!"

Axe sighed, rubbing his nasal ridge. "Not _cracks_ , bro. _Axe_. Like what I use at work."

"YOU HAVE NEVER ONCE WORN SLACKS TO WORK!!!"

"Not _slacks_ , I said _Axe!_ "

"YOU DON'T PLAY THE SAX, BROTHER! YOU PLAY THE TROMBONE! AND APPARENTLY THE DRUMS!!"

" _For the last time, **there are no god damn drums!!**_ "

Chara couldn't take it anymore. They burst out into hysterical laughter, clutching their middle as they tried not to fall over, and ultimately failed. All four skeletons in the room turned to watch them, the tension that had begun to build in the air dissipating.

Paci decided that if the human wasn't concerned, he wouldn't be either.

After cracked the kitchen door open, looking out. "I HEAR LAUGHTER!!! ARE OUR GUESTS ARRIVING ALREADY??" He sounded immensely pleased by that idea.

The smell of his cooking swept into the room.

Then they all heard a loud growling noise.

Chara's laughter stopped.

Everyone's head snapped to Axe.

Axe was nearly doubled over, clutching at his midriff, clawing at his worn shirt. Sweat built up alarmingly fast on his skull. His eye sockets were wide, sunken, hollow, his single eyelight blown out disturbingly large. Another growling noise broke through the now shocked silence. Axe cringed, coughing up what looked like black bile that began dripping between his teeth. He started shaking, his stance widening as he fought to remain upright. "I'm not hungry... I'm- I'm not... Need to be patient..." Axe muttered to himself, hugging himself as though he were afraid his body would shake apart. The growling noise, which sounded increasingly like bones scraping together painfully, persisted at regular intervals.

Chara stood up quickly, reaching out to try and help the suffering monster, although they did not know how to go about it.

Axe's gaze darted quickly to the human. He trembled, then, snapped out and grasped at Chara with maddening speed. "I've waited 6 years for a bite to eat..." He said darkly. He tightened his grip, his phalanges digging painfully into the human's skin, the tips of each distal phalanx breaking the surface and drawing blood.

"SANS! STOP!!!" Sugar shouted.

Chara braced for pain.

Axe trembled, panting ragged breaths, then, grunting as though it were a herculean effort, tossed Chara hard to one side, into Paci's chest. Axe then shoved After-rus out of the way and dove into the kitchen, where he grabbed the first bit of food he could reach (raw cookie dough that After-rus had been prepping) and stuffed it in his mouth. He sank to the kitchen floor, tears streaming down his face as he started laughing. His hysterics devolved into tearful wails.

He had almost made a terrible mistake.

Sugar pushed passed After-rus a bit more gently, kneeling down next to Axe and enveloping him in his much more gentle embrace. "WOWWIE BROTHER!! YOU ACTUALLY STOPPED THIS TIME!! AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO HIT YOU!! GOOD JOB!!"

"I'm sorry," Axe sobbed, the words muffled as he hid his face in the tattered remains of Sugar's battle body. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Chara looked at their arm, checking to see if it was worth fussing over. The puncture marks were shallow, the bloodflow sluggish and minimal. They were marks from a monster, so they didn't think they needed to worry about infection, so they shrugged, got up, and headed for the kitchen after Axe.

Paci gripped their wrist. "Kid, what the _hell_ did you bring into our house?"

Chara looked back at him, confused. "Monsters. Creatures made out of love, hope, and compassion. People who are hurt, and need help. Isn't that obvious?"

After-rus looked in on the monsters now de-stressing in his kitchen. "IT SEEMS WE WILL NEED A LOT MORE PIE."

Geno chuckled softly, pulling out his cell phone. "More pizza, coming up."

* * *

The bus ride was everything Lust had expected. Pink, Mettaton, and Asriel were practically handing out of the windows trying to drink in every sight, sound, and smell as they headed from the mountain to the suburbs. Pink squealed in delight at every passing car, truck, and motorcycle, chittering to Mettaton excitedly about the engines. Mettaton flushed a bit when Pink went into detail about the mechanics, surprised his boyfriend knew much of anything about machines. Lust snickered, knowing Pink had started studying about cars from a young age, and about computers a bit more recently.

Lust made a mental note to ask Dance about maybe helping to tutor him. Stars only knew it was all greek to Lust.

When they arrived at the house, it was to a rather interesting scene.

Sugar and Axe were sitting on the livingroom floor, digging into what appeared to be a huge assortment of everything one might have in their kitchen: fruit, bread, cheese, vegetables, cereals, and various condiments. More smells were coming from the kitchen. Chara watched from the couch, the most satisfied grin a human could physically have on their face.

Paci and Geno were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the twins?" Lust asked, grin spreading as Asriel darted passed him and jumped into Chara's lap in a flying tackle hug.

Chara accepted the affection with practiced ease, squeezing back their smaller sibling as they answered. "Went to get more food."

"Chara!! Chara the surface is AMAZING!! I saw cars and trucks and _there was a chubby bird on the side of the road and it honked at me!!_ "

Chara laughed, ruffling the top of Asriel's head, mussing the fur there. "Birds do that, partner."

"And I saw even more humans!! I didn't know humans could get so fat! I thought they were all scrawny like you!"

Chara snickered, flicking their brother's nose lightly. "If I judged all monsters based just on you, I'd think they were all amazing little furballs."

"How DARE you talk down to the God of Hyperdeath!" Asriel challenged, headbutting Chara's shoulder playfully, careful of his stubby horns.

Chara flopped to one side dramatically. "Oh, oww!! Oh, woe is me, to be struck down by the gods!! Have mercy, great sparkling deity!!"

They held onto their seriousness for maybe two seconds before they both broke down in a fit of giggles, slumping on the couch together in a pile.

Lust allowed the video he was recording to stretch a bit longer before hitting the end button, and saved the file. He was sure a certain skeleton would be interested in seeing it later.

Today really was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ I like to think Sugar did some sick ass gymnastic spins midair before landing like a badass from some shounen anime. He has become very physically strong thanks to dealing with Undick
> 
> ~ A Genocide-Run Sans, a Pacifist-Run Sans, and a Neutral-Run Sans all go to a party. Sounds like the setup for a joke, but the joke is that its happened.
> 
> ~ "Humans Are Friends, Not Food"
> 
> ~ Everyone be nice to Axe. He's trying so hard.
> 
> ~ I hope you enjoyed that brief stint of StoryShift sibling fluff


	49. Afterparty (Pt 6) Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!_
> 
> (Almost) everyone shows up. Greetings and Introductions are made. Also there is pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know how many fucking characters are at this party. But I do know that there are A LOT of personalities to write for and I feel like I am forgetting some important reactions, interactions, observations, SOMETHING.
> 
> but here take this garbage anyway.

Dance returned soon enough with a nervous Toriel and an excited Asgore.

Asgore lept away from Dance, stumbing a bit before sinking to his knees, swallowing thickly. "That... was..."

"Gory, are you okay?!?!" Toriel darted over, hovering anxiously, before finally deciding to rub his back.

Gory clutched at his midriff for a moment or two, shuddering. "Th-that might take some getting used to..." His voice was lower, more subdued, thanks to feeling so off-kilter. Tori hugged him gently, sympathetically. She had forgotten how difficult shortcuts were to get used to.

"HELLO AGAIN TINY GOAT SIBLINGS!!!" Rus greeted them cheerfully. "ITS WONDERFUL FOR YOU TO JOIN US!!!"

Blue's eyelights zero'ed in on Toriel, becoming bigger, brighter, spinning faster in his sockets as they shifted between hearts and stars. "ITS LIKE THE QUEEN BUT TINY!!!"

Toriel snapped her head to Blue, flushing brightly. Stretch couldn't keep from laughing. "Payback!" He chirped, winking at her. The goat monster froze, then smiled, devolving into giggles of her own.

Suave watched with amusement as his brother kept his hood up, shadowed eyelights on Toriel as though he were physically incapable of turning away. He could have sworn he heard the distant, subtle echoes of his brother's song (the old one, the one from before the whatever-happened-to-happen-that-he-won't-talk-about), but that might have been wishful thinking. Suave stood up, going and putting a hand on his brother's shoulder and leaning down to whisper in his ear. "I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU MADE A FRIEND."

Dance flinched, looking up. He grinned tightly, face dusted a faint azure. "Heh, yeah, friend. Just a friend. Maybe. I dunno. We didn't talk about it. More like pen-pals."

Suave grinned wider with each stumbling utterance, barely containing a delighted squeal. He didn't have the jargon to succinctly express what he was feeling, but he knew one thing: he would support whatever relationship his brother was trying to make with this tiny goat lady with all of his heart and SOUL. He would FIGHT for this, and dust for this. After he teased him mercilessly, of course, as was tradition.

But that would come later. He would only tease his brother in private (or among fellows who his brother was comfortable with). For now he would start thinking of date-necessary dance moves he would need to make sure his brother knew. And make an effort to get to know the tiny goats.

Blue, it seemed, was one step ahead, darting excitedly for them and introducing himself even more exuberantly than the first time. Gory pulled himself together, reaching up to shake Blue's hand. Blue, in turn, yanked him to his feet and pulled him into a hug, which Gory returned in spades.

Frisk gathered up the cards, grinning. Gaster, who himself was quivering delightedly, surveyed the new additions with a careful eye.

Eventually, (as much for Tori's nerves as anything else), everyone settled down. The card game picked back up, Gory and Rus now throwing their hands in. Tori and Dance say on the couch between Gaster and Stretch, Tori next to Gaster. She relaxed, feeling unusually comfortable around him, his presence, though different, was also familiar and soothing. Dance was tense, eyeing Gaster over Tori's shoulder, daring him to make one wrong move as he clutched Tori's paw against the couch cushions.

Stretch was just glad to have more of a buffer between them.

Comic finally came down from his shower, dressed in fresh (if still rumpled) clothes. He grinned down from the second floor banister, feeling a kind of serenity he hadn't had in a long time. He had his family back. And it was bigger than ever. Who would have thought he would be grateful for every little hardship that had led to this?

"Any word from the others?" Comic asked, shortcutting to the end table by the couch, sitting on top of his book-ception.

"Not since earlier," Stretch admitted, pulling his phone out again. He shot a text to Slim, Lust, and Red.

Red didn't respond, which was worrying. Slim texted that he was on his way, and just had a few more loose ends to tie up.

Lust sent Stretch a video file. When Stretch played it, he grinned so hard it hurt. "Looks like Lust and Chara are already there. Slim's on his way. No word from Red, though..."

Dance ground his teeth, pulling out his own phone and shooting Red an angry text of his own. He stubbornly pushed down the growing anxiety when he got no response either. He didn't even like Red, so he shouldn't care. He cared anyway, and that just made him more upset.

Tori squeezed Dance's hand, understanding.

"ATTENTION, PEASANTS!!" A loud voice Stretch remembered far too vividly for his liking broke over the din. "YOUR LORD AND MASTER HAS ARRIVED!" Stretch looked up. There on the second floor stood Slim, smiling. On Slim's right shoulder sat Razz, posing elegantly, dramatically, menacingly, dripping smug confidence and superiority with his slender legs crossed, showing off the cruel pointed heels of his stiletto boots. Slim supported his brother's balance with his right arm, hand firm on Razz's femur.

The stunned silence that pervaded the room only seemed to reinforce Razz's ego. "YES, I CAN SEE YOU ARE ALL STUNNED BY AWE AND FEAR. WORRY NOT!! I AM TOLD YOU HAVE DONE WELL RETURNING MY MUTT TO ME. SO, AS A REWARD FOR ADEQUATE SERVICE, I AM GRACIOUSLY GIVING YOU THE HONOR OF MY PRESENCE AT THIS CELEBRATION."

Slim turned his head slightly to look up at his brother. The sheer devotion and affection in his gaze contrasted starkly with the presumptuousness of his sibling's attitude. Then he turned back to look at the others, his expression again lazy, bland, and somewhat bored, while simultaneously being self sure and smug in a noticeably more passive way than his brother.

Gaster clapped quietly, amused and excited about the new arrivals.

Razz preened from the applause.

Slim narrowed his eyelights at Gaster, but said nothing. He started walking down the stairs, posture straight and poise faultless as he made certain not to jostle his brother. It was much smoother than before, when he had been injured (and took significantly less effort on his part), but the way his body moved was so different than usual that it made Comic, Stretch, and especially Dance do a double take.

Stretch looked at his phone again. Still no sign of Red. Slim noticed. "Missing someone?"

"Lust and Chara are at the party already, but there's been no word from Red..." Stretch's concern seeped into his voice.

Slim raised a bone brow, pulling out his own phone and shooting Red a text. He wasn't expecting an immediate reply, but it only made him more concerned when he didn't get the 'read' notification.

"IT BECOMES A CONCERN AFTER TWENTY FOUR HOURS," Razz said evenly to Slim, using one hand to grip at Slim's collar. Slim's tension eased marginally.

"Barring Red, that means everyone is either there or here and ready to go," Comic said. "Should we head over now?"

"NOT YET!! WE SHOULD WAIT FOR GRUMPY BROTHER!!" Rus said.

Slim shot a text to Lust, asking about Red. The response was near immediate. "Lust says Red'll be coming later. Something about convincing his brother ta show up."

Stretch face palmed. Here he was thinking the worst, when that made absolute sense. It was just them, probably having some kind of emotional family moment, working through some issues, before coming over. He was worried for nothing. "Then lets go!"

Everyone stood up. Frisk went about cleaning up the card game, shooing the Papyri, Blue, and Gory away playfully. Gaster shifted to the corner of the room so he would be out of the way. Gory's grin became a tad more tense when he realized that there would be _another_ shortcut involved. He didn't particularly enjoy the first one, as excited as he was to attend this event. Toriel took one of his paws, squeezing it gently, liquid eyes full of sympathy. "We can always go home," she murmured. "That is an option if you would prefer, bro."

"NO!! NO, I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!" Gory insisted, puffing out his chest.

Dance gripped Gory's other paw. "It's be quick. If I would have known it would make you sick I would have taken you straight there," he muttered apologetically.

"I WILL BE OKAY!! AS YOU SAID, IT WILL BE QUICK!! AND THE AMAZING ASGORE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY SUCH A TRIVIAL THING AS THIS!!"

"If you're certain," Tori said, at the same time Dance said, "If you're sure."

Suave gripped Dance's shoulder, pleased. Stretch took hold of Tori's other hand, winking. Tori chuckled. Blue grabbed onto Stretch's hoodie, practically bouncing. Comic took hold of Rus' gloved hand with one of his, and Suave's with the other. Slim linked arms with Stretch, eyeing Blue with a wry grin that Blue returned. Razz bopped Slim upside the head, not hard, but as a warning. Slim laughed lightly, winking at his brother.

Stretch and Dance exchanged looks, Dance setting the timing with the tap of one foot. Comic and Slim made sure to time their own shortcuts to help pull all the extra people through.

Stretch led the count.

They all landed in the back yard of the Aftertale skelebro's house.

The sudden harsh change in brightness made everyone flinch. Stretch, Dance, Slim, and Razz recovered in moments. Everyone else struggled to adjust, hisses and yelps deteriorating into awed, reverent silence.

"Oh. My. Stars." Gory breathed.

"Are we..?" Tori asked.

"This isn't a prank, is it..? Comic asked, looking at Stretch.

"EVEN PAPPY WOULD NEVER JOKE ABOUT- ABOUT-" Blue looked around, up at the sky.

"I've been holding onto this all day, bro," Stretch hummed. "You have _sky_ lights."

Blue broke into laughter, sky-blue tears pooling on the rims of his sockets. He pulled Stretch into a tight hug, still shaking.

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!" Rus announced, picking up Comic and spinning around. "MORE BROTHERS, A NEW-OLD-LOST-AND-FOUND-DAD, AND NOW _THE SURFACE?!?!_ " He squeezed Comic tight, a megawatt smile on his face. "HOW CAN THIS GET ANY BETTER??"

"Dunno, bro," Comic admitted, hugging him back. "I dunno..."

Suave snatched Dance up and started spinning around, his song floating cheerily through the air, soft at first, but growing louder as he laughed. Dance was stiff and awkward, but he moved with his brother just enough so as not to trip him up.

The music attracted the attention of the others in the house. Lust was the first outside, recognizing the melody from when he had cut a rug with Suave himself. He leaned up against the outside of the house, tugging lightly on his new collar, as he watched his many new friends, his family, enjoy the sun for the first time.

Slim continued to watch the others celebrate, but his attention snapped to Lust, drawn by the barely discernible hum of the magic stitched into the leather, eyelights burning brighter when he noticed the collar. He touched his own, briefly, with his left hand, drawing Razz's attention. Razz tapped one finger on Slim's shoulder, face not showing any sign that he was paying attention as he continued to present himself as though focusing on the group in the yard. Slim knew otherwise, and subtly leaned his skull towards Lust.

Razz's features stiffened by a fraction, and Slim could tell he was running through his head every reason why this might be of concern to Slim. Slim pat his leg twice, tugging gently on his own collar again: he had not meant to signal to his brother that there was cause for concern. He was simply excited to see what amazing progress Red had made while he wasn't looking.

Razz relaxed, soothed by the signal that all was well.

When the shock and excitement died down to something manageable, Lust cleared his throat. "Party's inside~"

Suave and Blue both snapped their heads to one side at Lust's voice, shouting his nickname excitedly before darting over to pull him into a hug. Stuck between two excited skeletons, Lust squirmed until he could get his arms unpinned and return the affection, laughing.

Pink stuck his head out the door, drawn by the commotion and his brother's sudden displacement. He grinned, seeing Lust sandwiched between Blue and Suave. He then saw Stretch. Grin broadening, he slunk up to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Long time no see, handsome~" He purred. "Sober looks good on you~"

Stretch went rigid, flushing brightly. "H-hi there. Again." He tried to remind himself that Pink was only teasing. It was just a jape.

Blue watched from the corner of his sockets. Lust caught on, patting Blue's shoulder reassuringly.

Pink leaned in closer to Stretch, his voice going even lower, more silky velvet laced with filthy promises. "Did you miss me~? Because I missed you~"

Razz sized Pink up and down from his perch, grin widening as he decided he liked what he saw. Slim chuckled, watching the scene play out in front of him, just as entertaining as the last time. Stretch continued to stutter, stammering, not entirely certain how he was supposed to respond, and again thrown off by Pink's whole attitude and demenor.

Pink snickered, deciding to show him MERCY, pulling back to a more polite distance and clapping Stretch on the back. "I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU MADE IT HOME OKAY!!! DID YOU BRING YOUR BROTHER TOO? WOULD YOU INTRODUCE ME??"

"Over here, bro," Lust called, waving. "This is Blue!"

Pink gave Stretch one last wink before bounding back to Lust and taking Blue's hands in his own. "IT IS SO NICE TO MEET YOU!!! I HAVE NOT ACTUALLY HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT YOU, BUT SURELY IF YOU ARE RELATED TO STRETCH AND ALSO ANOTHER VERSION OF MY OWN BROTHER YOU MUST BE VERY GREAT!!" He leaned in closer. "And I would love to get to know you better~"

Blue's eyelights became tiny spinning swirls of confusion, as he too was buffeted by Pink's unfairly persuasive voice. "I- UH- THANK YOU??"

"Pappy, darling, must you tease everyone you meet?" An exasperated but amused robotic voice chimed in from the doorway.

"NATURALLY!! I MUST STAY IN PRACTICE AFTER ALL!!" Pink let go of Blue, skipping to Mettaton's side and nuzzling. "And you are far too important to simply tease~" He purred.

"And yet you continue to do it," Mettaton chided playfully, ginning. "Some of the pizza they ordered arrived. It really does look a little like pie!"

"OOH!! SURFACE FOOD!!" Pink squealed. "AND JUST IN TIME TOO!! LOOKIE! THE OTHERS ARRIVED!! AND THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN BROTHERS!!!" Mettaton smiled pleasantly at everyone, but Lust, Pink, Tori, and Slim picked up on his anxiety. Pink slipped an arm around his waist, patting his hip to ground him.

"WHY DOES THAT ROBOT SEEM FAMILIAR??" Rus asked, scratching his chin.

Pink gasped. "OH THATS RIGHT!!! EVERYONE!! THIS IS METTATON!!"

Both Suave's and Rus' jaws dropped. "METTATON?! _THE_ METTATON?!?!?!?"

Mettaton flushed. "Well, in _my_ universe, anyway..."

"Which is called Underlust," Lust provided helpfully, snickering.

Mettaton made a face. "Of course it is."

Pink tugged at his boyfriend, heading inside. "COME ON IN EVERYONE! LETS PARTY!!!"

Tori looked at Dance. "Are... are they our hosts?" She asked, nervous.

Dance shook his head. "No. After-rus, Geno, and Paci are. This universe is called Aftertale."

"Seems fitting," Comic mused, sauntering towards the door. Everyone else followed suit, with Slim and Razz coming in last.

The back door led into the sunroom, where Asriel and Sugar were sitting on the floor in front of the TV, playing video games (a racing game to be precise). Asriel had his tongue sticking out one side of his maw, turning his whole body this way and that as his car raced down the track. Sugar was struggling to hold the controller, the device much too small for his massive hands, but considering his delighted expression as he got his own car to move he didn't seem to mind or care. Chara and Axe sat on the couch behind them, an open pizza box sitting between them. Most of it was gone already, Axe's euphoric smile smeared with slimy cheese grease as he wolfed down yet another slice in a single bite, practically moaning. Chara snickered, savoring their own pizza slice a bit more slowly, blowing on it, their dimly glowing red eyes darting between their younger sibling and their couch companion.

"Shut up, it's good," Axe barked, trying to shoot Chara a dirty look, his efforts ruined by his satisfied expression.

"I didn't say a word," the human retorted, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

"IT IS FAR TOO GREASY TO BE MADE OF WOOD!! AND SMELLS ALL WRONG!! WOOD SMELLS LIKE DECAY AND SADNESS!!" Sugar shouted over his shoulder, startling Asriel and making him jump. His car crashed on the screen and Sugar's zoomed passed him. The skeleton laughed victoriously, while the little goat growled, not giving up.

"Not _wood_ , Paps, I said _good_!" Axe snapped, but his heart wasn't in it. He wasn't hungry anymore. He was practically purring, lounging there in the sunbeam that fell over that side of the couch, his metaphorical stomach full near to bursting. His bones no longer ached with the strain of holding him together, his magic no longer stretched taunt up and down his spine. His SOUL no longer felt quite so empty, so shriveled and sunken. He was still malnourished, and he knew he had to slow down, stop eating so much so fast, or he would make himself sick... but it felt _so good_ to actually have food again. He reached and picked up one more piece of pizza, _the last one_ he told himself (like a liar), and threw his head back to swallow it whole.

He would ignore the guilt gnawing at his SOUL that his friends and neighbors were still suffering back home. He would deal with that later. Right now... right now was about him and his brother.

"How does wood smell like decay and sadness??" Asriel asked, shooting Sugar (another) pitying look.

"WELL, IT DOES BACK HOME, ANYWAY!! WOOD MIGHT SMELL DIFFERENT HERE!!" Sugar admitted.

Pink and Mettaton walked right passed the horrortale brothers and storyshift siblings without batting an eye. Pink sat on one of the numerous beanbag chairs scattered around, pulling Mettaton into his lap to cuddle with him. Mettaton made a soft yelping noise when he was yanked off balance, and shook a scolding finger at Pink. Pink just grinned, nuzzling into Mettaton's synthetic neck. The robot sighed, knowing he had already forgiven him (and that Pink knew he had been forgiven), and leaned into the touch, feeling safe and loved.

Lust took a picture.

The others, however, were taken by surprise by the other occupants. Tori and Gory were both thrown for a loop by the state of neglect the skeletons were in, as well as the existence of Asriel. Tori clawed at her shirt, focusing on Asriel hard. It was jarring, seeing someone who looked and felt so much like _him_.

"What the hell..?!" Dance breathed, clutching at his own skull sympathetically when he saw Axe.

"LANGUAGE," Suave chastised weakly, distracted by feelings of pity and sorrow.

Comic clutched at Rus' hand. Rus squeezed back as he fought with his own instincts to run in and hug the monsters that had clearly been through so much. That would probably not go over well as a first introduction.

Razz and Slim took it in stride, cataloging the injuries on both skeletons, itemizing where they probably came from, picturing in their heads what the scene might have looked like when it happened... and deciding that a little bit of respect and caution was in order.

Blue and Stretch both focused in on Axe. Stretch clutched at his hoodie, over where he now knew his death-scar was. He shook, eyelights fully extinguished, seeing the monster that had murdered not only himself, but Chara, sitting there.

Blue CHECKed the monster that matched the description his brother had given him so perfectly.

> "Sans"  
> ---  
> LV 8  
> HP 1 / 1  
> AT 10 | EXP: 500  
> DF 1 | NEXT: 300  
> WEAPON: none  
> ARMOR: none  
> GOLD: 0 | KILLED: 50  
>   
> * The Snowdin Butcher  
>  * Killer at his job  
>  * Can JUDGE himself, doesn't need you doing it 

Axe's single red eyelight snapped to Blue's face at feeling the CHECK. His right hand came up, two phalanges curling into his socket and tugging on his skull, smearing more grease on his face and inside his socket. "See something ya like?"

Chara looked up, beaming. They waved. "About time you guys showed up!!"

Stretch swallowed thickly. "What are..?"

"After-rus said he wanted to meet everyone, remember?" Chara said, eyes narrowing at Stretch, daring him to challenge this. The human's eyes glowed a brighter, more DETERMINED red, making Comic and Dance flinch. Razz and Slim both grinned, amused by something. Blue's face was frozen in a pleasant smile.

Blue then zoomed in on Axe, grinning excitedly. "YOU LOOK _REALLY_ STRONG..." He said with a level of awe that took Axe aback.

"More of a _hack_ , actually," Axe returned, snickering. Chara snorted, almost choking on their pizza as they were made to laugh mid-bite.

Stretch didn't think it was so funny.

Blue's grin twitched, his eyes narrowing slightly. "WANT TO SPAR WITH ME??"

"Nah," Axe returned, leaning back. "Not really _cut_ out for it."

Chara snickered. Blue was just about to say something else when Sugar spoke up (loudly).

"SANS!! NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE LAZY!! WE ARE HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS AND THAT MEANS ENGAGING IN FRIENDSHIP ACTIVITIES!!!"

"Aw, c'mon bro, hows a sparring match considered a friendship activity??"

"IT IS IN THE HANDBOOK!!" Sugar replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What handbook??"

"THE HANDBOOK OF FRIENDSHIP!! NOW GET UP AND MAKE A NEW FRIEND!!!"

Chara wiggled their eyebrows at the confused monster. "Yeah, Axe. Get up and make a new friend. It worked last time, didn't it?"

"What last time?" Axe grumbled, sliding off the couch. He knew he had lost.

"What? Are we not friends? I'm hurt!" Chara's voice made it very clear they were not in fact hurt, and found the whole situation very funny.

"YES!! SEE, SANS? THE SPARRING METHOD WORKS WONDERS FOR YOU!! JUST AS THE PUZZLES METHOD WORKS WONDERS FOR ME!!" Sugar chirped happily.

"Why do you have to encourage him," Axe grumbled, stuffing his hands in his ratty jacket pockets. "Well??" he snapped at Blue. "Lets get this over with."

Blue's grin widened considerably. He gestured back outside. "THERE IS MORE ROOM OUT THERE!!"

"WE WOULDN'T WANT TO BOTHER THE NEIGHBORS THOUGH," Rus pointed out. "MAYBE IF WE SET UP AN ARENA??"

"THEN HOW WOULD WE WATCH??" Razz pointed out. "MUTT!! I AM CHARGING YOU WITH SECURITY."

"I'm on magic duty, then," Slim hummed, nodding.

"This isn't a good idea," Stretch said.

"NONSENSE PAPPY!!" Blue chirped, patting his brother's arm. "A SPARRING MATCH IS A GREAT WAY TO GET TO KNOW SOMEONE!! I AM SURE BY THE END OF IT WE WILL HAVE A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN US!!" He was far too happy about this, the complete opposite of Axe, who looked like he would rather be doing anything else as he stepped back out into the sizable yard.

"Sans, please, don't-" Stretch tried one more time, but Blue was stubborn, and skipped out into the yard, seemingly unaware of just how dangerous the monster in front of him actually was.

Comic, Lust, Pink, Mettaton, Dance, Tori, Sugar, and Asriel remained inside, uninterested in sparring.

Rus, Suave, Slim, Razz, Gory, and Stretch went out to observe the sparring match. Stretch held his face in his hands. He couldn't watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ so my thinking is that shortcuts, which displace your physicality, are a bit more disorienting the more physical matter you have. so humans, and more bulky monsters like the dreemurrs, have a rougher time of it to start with. DETERMINATION helps to ease that, which is why frisk and chara never had much of an issue despite being nearly all physical, but poor asgore and asriel? hehehe they might need to practice
> 
> ~ suave ships it. suave ships it so hard. suave will sink with this ship (just like i am pretty sure i will)
> 
> ~ gaster also ships it. he is a happy goopdad.
> 
> ~ razz is all "I'M BACK BITCHES: WORSHIP ME!"
> 
> ~ ooooooh Slim knows~ he ships it~
> 
> ~ Pink back at it with teasing Stretch
> 
> ~ Razz sees something he likes... o.0
> 
> ~ "Eat a snickers. Because you're not you when you're hungry."
> 
> ~ oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH BLUE CAN DO A JUDGE CHECK WHAT THE HELL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA psych i'm not surprised but if you are HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
> 
> ~ huh ok deja vu that looks really familiar... didn't Blue act like this to Red? Like, ask this exact same question?
> 
> ~ chara might not be as big a fan of puns as the others but they sure as hell are slayed by morbid jokes
> 
> ~ CharAxe Best Friends Forever
> 
> ~ Will Axe kill Blue? Will Blue make a new friend? Will the neighbors notice the skeleton convention going on? Where are Geno, Paci, and After-rus?? _Find out next time on Dragonball Z!!_


	50. Afterparty (Pt 7) Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain’t no Party like an Afterparty ‘cuz an Afterparty don’t stop!_
> 
> Some realizations are made, and someone puts their foot down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot harder to write. But. I think it turned out okay-ish?? I mean not my best work (especially towards the end) but maybe its ok?
> 
> Eh ok yeah its garbage but here have it

Chara was not certain at first whether they wanted to stay in the sunroom, or go watch the sparring match. They looked at Asriel, who shot them a big grin and nudged his head in the direction of the door. Chara chuckled, sitting up from the couch and slipping out to watch now that they had reassurance from their brother.

Outside, Blue and Axe were facing each other from across the yard. Blue was rolling his shoulders, grinning brightly, his vivid cyan starry eyelights focused on his sparring partner. Axe, on the other hand, was slouched, his hands in his pockets, his single red eyelight drifting to look around at the scenery. He looked about as uninterested and bored as a skeleton could manage, a stark contrast to his exuberant, eager counterpart in both appearance and temperament.

"YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO GO FIRST- 'AXE', WAS IT??" Blue called out.

Axe shrugged, nodding his head in Blue's general direction. "Just get this over with, would ya?"

Blue summoned a bone, tossing it up and down in his hand. "ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT TO GO FIRST??"

Axe shrugged. "Don't matter."

"OKAY THEN!!" Blue agreed, chipper.

The next thing Axe knows, his SOUL is gripped tightly in BLUE magic, and gravity is flipped on its side for him. He's being flung forward, towards both Blue and his wall of bone constructs, a barrier upon which Axe would surely be broken. Time seems to slow down for Axe, his SOUL and his mind working overtime to a perceived threat. He summons his weapon, the cruel construct of metal and bone for which he was renamed, and uses it to break Blue's wall attack in a single swing, seconds before impact, spraying shards and splinters everywhere in a shower of cyan and white. The noise is deafening. Axe's own magic crackles angrily when it comes in contact with Blue's, sending colorful sparks in darker blues (and the occasional bloody red) outward from each point of contact. Axe twists in the air, spinning to regain control of his 'fall' toward his opponent, but he never takes his eye off of the other monster.

Blue sees Axe rip his attack apart like tissue paper, and it takes all of his training and experience not to flinch at the deranged grin plastered on the other's face. Blue knows he has lost the element of surprise now, but he hasn't lost his advantage yet, so he continues his assault, throwing a duel row of bones towards Axe. Those are also deflected, falling apart to the pressure of Axe's weapon. It is enough, however, to give him time to summon his special attack: his own Gaster Blaster.

Blue takes aim, squaring off the large beam of energy so that Axe was plummeting right into his blaster's gaping maw, and fires.

Axe shouted a curse, pushing away from the actual ground with his weapon in a panic, sending him upward just in time to avoid being incinerated by the raw magical energy. The beam still came dangerously close, singeing the back of his jacket and burning away a small bit of the fringe. He continued his 'fall' sideways, sailing over the blaster. Axe spun head over heels, landing on his feet on the outside wall of the neighbor's house. Cracks spread out in the bricks under his hightops, bits of cement and stone dislodged and sent flying.

All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Slim sent a blaster of his own to counteract and nullify Blue's beam before it could do any actual damage, sweating a bit. He made mental note of just how quickly Blue could improve.

"ZOH MY GOD..." Gory gasped.

"Sans?!" Stretch looked through the gaps in his fingers, startled by the noise.

"MAYBE IT IS JUST MY IMAGINATION, BUT I THINK THAT PERHAPS EXCITED BROTHER IS A LITTLE..." Rus trailed off.

"MURDERY?" Suave provided helpfully.

"I WAS GOING TO SAY ANNOYED, BUT..." Rus couldn't argue with the assessment.

Blue could smile, he could make his eyelights spin and sparkle, he could put as much innocent exuberance into his voice as he pleased. However, there was no denying the intent in his magic. Blue. Meant. Business.

Chara looked between the two sparring monsters, startled. This was _not_ what they had expected.

Razz grinned conspiratorially. "I LIKE HIM."

"I thought you would," Slim admitted.

Axe tensed, shifting his grip on the handle of his weapon. Sweat slicked down his spine. _That had been too fucking close._

Blue grinned, spinning around to look up at Axe, one hand on his hip. "YOU ARE BETTER AT DODGING THAN I THOUGHT YOU WERE!!"

Axe was about to shout a retort, when his gravity shifted again, and he was flung in the opposite direction, back towards Blue. Blue threw more bone attacks at him, forcing Axe to play defense. He almost wasn't fast enough to spin-roll out of the way of Blue's next blaster beam.

"ARE YOU HAVING FUN??" Blue asked, almost sweetly.

"Does it _look like_ I'm having fun, you _freak?!_ " Axe snapped, twisting just right to fall through the gaps between two attacks safely.

"NAME CALLING IS RUDE, AND WHOLLY UNNECESSARY," Blue chastised at the same time he summoned a second gaster blaster, firing both and crossing the beams right where Axe was. Axe yelped, kicking off from a stray bone construct to change his velocity and dart out of the way. Blue chose that moment to release him from his BLUE magic, so Axe was sent flying by the shockwave from the crossed blaster beams.

Axe spun again to land on his feet, but he wasn't able to fully maintain his balance, and sank to his knees, panting. He landed on the other side of the yard from Blue, near his starting point, looking far more invested (and tired) than when he began.

"AM I BEING TOO ROUGH??" Blue asked, and it sounded almost like he was concerned. However, there was an undertone, and edge in his voice.

"I wouldn't call it _rough_ as much as _psychopathic_ ," Axe hissed, pushing himself to his feet. He bristled when he felt BLUE magic grip him again. He was yanked hard, hurdling straight for Blue himself.

Blue reached out, gripping the handle of Axe's weapon with one hand, and the scruff of his shirt with the other. "I BELIEVE YOU CAN HANDLE MORE THAN JUST THIS!!" He said brightly. "AFTER ALL, ANYONE WHO CAN PLAY SO ROUGHLY WITH PAPPY MUST SURELY HAVE MORE TO GIVE!!"

"What?" Axe asked, starting to think maybe he had made a different kind of mistake.

"IF YOU CAN PLAY ROUGHLY WITH MY BROTHER, PAPPY," Blue said a tad more slowly, emphasizing each word carefully, so that Axe would understand. As he spoke, he yanked Axe's weapon from his grasp, spinning it in his hand to grip it properly. Stretch recognized the movement, a nearly perfect imitation of the way Alphys, his and Blue's guard Captain, handled her own weapons. Razz and Slim recognized it as well, being identical to their own variant of Alphys.

Blue then pressed the blade of the weapon close to Axe's throat. Axe could see Blue's reflection, the bright flicker of his cyan and gold eyelights (now shaped like simple, intimidating, oval disks) clear even in the dusty steel.

"THEN YOU CAN PLAY ROUGHLY WITH ME."

Axe bristled. His eyelight darted to the sidelines, where Stretch was still hiding behind his hands. He looked back at Blue. "...Point made."

Blue smiled brightly, letting go of Axe's shirt and presenting him his weapon back. His eyelights were again wholly his namesake, shaped like slowly spinning stars. "WONDERFUL!! GREAT SPARRING MATCH!! I AM GLAD WE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER!! I BELIEVE WE CAN BECOME GREAT FRIENDS!"

"Yeah..." Axe agreed slowly, taking his weapon back and dematerializing it. "Me too..."

Chara was glad they had come out to see this. They would hate to ever underestimate that exuberant, cheerful skeleton.

* * *

Everyone filed back into the house, leaving the others none the wiser to the true nature of the sparring match.

Rus and Suave settled down to watch the video games, joining in the next race. Gory found a seat with a good view of the TV, but would also let him discretely watch Tori and Dance where they were sequestered in the bean bags. He also got passed a controller.

Razz struck up a conversation with Blue about axe-wielding techniques. Blue attempted to involve Axe himself in the conversation, but Axe went straight back to the couch and flopped down next to the pizza box, picking up where he left off in consuming as much as possible. Chara sat again beside Axe, pulling over a new, still untouched pizza box to replace the one he was about to empty. Stretch went and sat in a beanbag by Comic, sinking backwards into it with his head thrown back, lanky limbs akimbo, one hand rubbing his face. Dance looked over Comic's shoulder at Stretch, curious about why he was so stressed. Comic raised a bone brow of his own.

Slim set Razz down on his own feet, so he could continue his conversation with Blue independently, and went over to join Stretch in the beanbags. He sat down, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to Stretch. Stretch almost took it, but caught sight of Blue watching and pulled his hand away with a groan. Razz cocked a brow at the exchange, but decided it wasn't his business or concern.

Slim snickered. "Sucks ta be you, huh, honey," he teased, lighting up the stick and smoking it himself.

"Now you're just being mean," Stretch groaned.

"What happened?" Comic dared to ask.

"Nothing," Stretch answered automatically, in a casual tone, a lilt of humor in his voice timed perfectly with the flippant wave of his hand, grin that would have fooled anyone on his face.

"Lil Blue there dunked on the glutton," Slim snickered. "It was great."

"Blue did??" Dance asked, skeptical.

"Shoulda seen it. Not bad fer FreExp," Slim praised. "Even M'lord was impressed. Kid's got potential."

"Of course he does, he's the coolest," Stretch huffed. "Though..." He side-eyed Razz from across the room, fingers twitching.

"Worried?" Slim asked.

"Can you blame me?" Stretch countered.

Slim was silent for a moment, expression blank, as he really thought about it. He blew a smoke ring. "Guess not. But ya don't gotta be. M'lord aint no EXP hunter. And we don't like wasting potential. Besides..." He grinned. "Don't really need ta worry much about it no more."

"What do you mean?" Comic asked, curious.

Slim pulled out his phone, flipping through it until he found the image he wanted. He showed it to them: it was a group photo, with a number of people smiling while they posed on a mountain path. Comic and Dance both recognized the setup, and the faces were familiar, but the details were very different than any picture they had seen before. In the back were two tall, imposing goat monsters, one dressed in the finery of royalty, a contented smile playing at her face, the other dressed in simpler robes, his joyous smile making his warm red eyes sparkle. In front of them, on the right, was a fish monster in protective goggles, wearing a manic giggling grin that showed off her sharp teeth. Beside her was a buff lizard in leather armor, flexing her muscles and clearly in the middle of a hearty laugh. Slim and Razz posed in the front on the left side, Slim looking smug and Razz looking triumphant and proud. Razz had his one claw on the shoulder of the last figure in the photo, a tiny human child in a striped sweater, holding a temmie securely to their chest.

"You... You made it to the surface..?!" Dance choked out.

Slim smirked. "Yup." He drew out the syllable.

Lust, who had been sitting closer to his brother, shortcut to a seat closer to Slim, peaking to look at the photo himself. "Stars, Slim, you must be so happy..!"

Slim grinned. "Kiddo's named Chara. M'lord's decided to adopt them. Asgore was gonna do it, but... heh, kids a bit too young ta be in a greenhouse, if ya know what I mean. Plus," He looked up at his brother, gaze softening. "M'lord's real attached already."

" _That_ guy??" Comic nearly spat.

Slim snorted. "What goes on between me an m'lord don't define our whole character. He's great with kids."

Lust looked back at Slim's brother. Razz was currently demonstrating (with great smugness and pride) his favorite grip for one-handed ax-throwing. Blue was paying rapt attention, nodding along. Lust could almost see it, between that moment and the one frozen in time in the photo. He wasn't fully convinced, and he was heavily skeptical, and he certainly wouldn't trust Razz with a child, but... he could... _almost_ see it. Maybe. If he squinted. And pretended he hadn't seen what Razz had done to Slim.

Stretch could see it a little better, even if he too was wary.

Slim huffed good-naturedly. "He'll prove it in time. Just ya wait."

"Yeah, and Red'll prove he isn't a total asshole," Dance huffed back.

"He isn't, though," Lust argued, gripping his collar. "He's really a big sweetheart underneath all that grit and defensiveness."

"Speaking a which," Slim started slyly, closing his phone and putting it away. "Congrats on that, darling."

Comic looked at Lust again. "Congrats?" he was confused.

Dance looked at Lust, then at his collar. His face turned a brilliant cobalt and he quickly hid in his hood.

Lust flushed a bit, tightening his grip on the leather and tugging lightly. "Thanks..?"

Stretch looked at the collar. "When did you get that, anyway?"

"Red gave it to me," Lust purred happily. "Although..." He looked at Slim. "I get the feeling it might mean something more..?"

Slim laughed. "He didn't explain nothing, did he?"

Lust shook his head.

Slim smirked, tugging on his own collar. "They mean a lot a things, depending on circumstance, but the nuance fer the one yer wearing is pretty straightforward. Yer his territory now. Touching ya mean asking fer a bad time."

Comic, Dance, and Stretch all flipped through various stages and degrees of shock. Lust's eyelights blew out into hearts, a soft purring noise escaping him. "Ya know, I think I like the sound of that... Say..." He grinned wider. "What would it mean if I gave _him_ something like this?"

Slim smirked conspiratorially. "Wanna find out?"

"Oh, yes, I think I do~"

"You two are both insufferably embarrassing," Dance grumbled.

"Sure you're not just jealous, sweetie?" Lust asked, wiggling his bone brows suggestively, a playful glint in his sockets.

"Why would I be jealous of that-"

There was a thump as something hit the floor hard behind the couch.

"-FUCKER OR SO HELP ME I SWEAR I WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM FUCKING LIMB AND CHOKE YOU WITH THE RESULTING DUST!!!" came a muffled, gruff snarl that sounded all too familiar.

"-go, you bully!!" Came a higher pitched voice, unfamiliar to some, but unsettlingly familiar to others.

The rest of the room went silent as all eyes turned to the new arrivals.

Red stood there, sweating, covered in dirt and blood, a few red echo flower petals plastered to his skull by his sweat. He had a large burlap sack clutched in one hand, slung over one shoulder, while the other clawed at a green and gold thing that was smothering his face.

"Get off!!" Red snarled, finally pealing away the tiny golden flower from his skull, tossing it to the floor. A high-pitched yelp broke the air.

"FLOWEY?!" Rus and Suave exclaimed at the same time. Sugar turned at the name, craining his neck to try and see over the couch.

Red summoned a blaster. "Burn in hell, ya fuckin' weed!!" The flower ducked through the floor and out of sight, as though burrowing through soil (and not floorboard). Red's blaster beam singed the wood, leaving a large char mark. Red spat out a bit of grit that had gotten into his mouth during what must have been quite the scuffle, scowling. "Good fuckin' riddance."

"SANS YOU PRICK WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS I WILL FUCKING END YOU!!!"

Chara shortcut to their brother's side, putting their hands firmly over his ears. Asriel tried to shake them off, but eventually gave up.

"LANGUAGE..!" Blue scolded under his breath, too shocked to put any real force behind it.

Gory got up and went closer to his sister, knowing the angry yelling probably wasn't helping her nerves. He was pleased to see Dance had scooted closer as well, situating himself between Tori and Red.

"TOO FUCKIN' LATE, BOSS! We're here!!" Red laughed, flipping off nobody in particular, or perhaps everyone, a victorious smile taking over his expression. "We're here an' _fuck you_ we ain't goin' back!!! I! FUCKIN'! WIN! _HA!_ "

"Oh my god," Comic gasped.

"Oh my god," Dance deadpanned.

"Oh my stars, Red, _what did you do?!_ " Lust squeaked.

Red looked up, finally taking in the room. He grinned smugly. "Yo, thanks fer th' invi-" he cut off when Edge maneuvered just right inside his burlap prison and kicked out, striking Red hard on his spine. Red cursed, dropping his grip on the bag as he sank to the floor, growling as the pain made his vision black out. It shaved a bit off his HP, fractions of a point. The bag fell open, and Edge wiggled out, rising to his feet. He had a bit of extra trouble since his wrists were handcuffed behind his back. He too was panting, covered in dirt, blood, sweat, and red echo flower petals.

He was also furious, his arms shaking as he strained against his bindings, cuffs that glowed brightly with the roiling magic they held at bay.

"YOU USELESS FUCKING SACK OF SHIT!! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?!?!" Edge went to kick Red, but Red easily evaded, sliding back to his feet, that self-satisfied grin still plastered on his face. "WHERE THE FUCK AM I?!?!"

"Dunno."

"FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!" Edge spat, kicking at Red again. Red dodged lazily. "NOT THAT IT MATTERS, SINCE YOU ARE SENDING ME BACK!! RIGHT!! FUCKING!! NOW!!"

"Nah."

 _Kick._ "SANS, I FUCKING MEAN IT!!"

 _Dodge._ "Uh, huh."

 _Kick._ "YOU FUCKING DICK!!!"

 _Dodge._ "Yeah."

 _Kick._ "I WILL DUST YOU!!!"

 _Dodge._ "Gotta hit me first."

 _Kick._ "SCREW OFF!!"

 _Dodge._ "'k."

"ENOUGH!" Stretch shouted. Blue looked at his brother with surprise.

Edge snapped is head to the side, as though finally realizing there were others in the room. "YOU. NOSY ONE. YOU WILL RETURN ME TO MY PROPER SPACE AND TIME THIS FUCKING INSTANT."

"If he does I'll dust 'm," Red growled.

"I'll do it," Dance said, getting up. "Anything to make him shut up. And get him out of here."

Red summoned a blaster. "Try it. I fuckin' _dare_ ya. Ya won't lay a finger on 'm before yer HP hits zero."

Pink and Mettaton both looked utterly horrified, by both the new monsters' behavior as well as their current state. Suave looked a little sick at the idea of someone actually threatening to _kill his brother,_ and so _cheerfully_. Axe licked some cheese grease off his phalanges, watching the drama play out with obvious interest. Sugar's expression was unreadable.

"WHAT HAPPENED, EDGY ME??" Rus asked, concerned.

"What did Red do this time," Stretch asked.

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK LIKE THE FUCKING PRICK DID??!?!" Edge snapped. He took a deep breath, still glaring daggers at his brother. Movement caught his eye, and he adjusted his stance, putting his back to the couch.

"Oh, sweet merciful god, Red you _actually_ did it?!" Lust gasped. "I- I thought you were exaggerating..!"

"Damn straight." Red sounded so proud of himself. "An' don't even start," he said, as though he knew exactly how Lust felt on the matter. "He literally asked fer it."

"Red, I never thought I would have to explain this, but you _cannot_ kidnap people and drag them to someone else's house!" Stretch said, exasperated.

"Yeah," Slim snickered. "Didn't even ask if our hosts gotta place ta hide a body."

"How can you joke about this?!" Dance hissed. "He just brought a pissed off murderer into the house filled with people _we want to like us!!_ "

"Got something against murderers?" Slim asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes! But at least _you_ aren't pissy and volatile!" Dance snapped back.

"Fuck off," Red snickered, in too good of a mood to even be mad. "And stop talkin' shit 'bout boss."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, SANS. I HARDLY NEED YOU TO DEFEND ME FROM FREEXP!" Edge snarled.

"I'll say _whatever th' fuck_ I wanna, _to_ whoever th' fuck I wanna, fer _whatever fuckin' reason_ I wanna, an' ya can die mad about it," Red snapped back.

There was a cracking noise, and a clank, as Edge's handcuffs fell to the floor. Edge flung out BLUE magic at Red, who dodged just in time. The BLUE magic gripped Rus. Edge immediately let go, darting forward to grab Red physically. Red kept dodging just out of reach.

Rus jumped between Edge and Red when Edge brought out a bone construct, glowing a vivid bloody crimson, the sharp tip poised to aim for his brother's body. Edge's strike stopped just short of making contact with Rus, angry magic crackling close enough for Rus to feel the heat of it. Rus forced himself not to flinch. "I REALZE YOU ARE VERY UPSET, EDGY ME, AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE, BUT DOING A VIOLENCE IS NOT A SOLUTION."

Stretch crossed his arms, giving Red a look. Red didn't look the least bit sorry, even now. Mildly irritated, but not sorry. Lust tugged on his collar, trying to curb his own irritation by flooding his system with better feelings. Red flinched mildly, which made Slim's eyelights sparkle as he looked between the two of them.

Edge growled warningly. "OUT OF MY WAY."

"EDGY ME, I CAN UNDERSTAND BEING VERY UPSET ABOUT BEING INVITED SO ABRUPTLY, BUT REST ASSURED WE ARE ALL HAPPY YOU CAME!!" Rus smiled, trying to spin this in a positive light, to ease the tension.

"I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS FUCKING NONSENSE!!" Edge snarled. "UNLIKE THE REST OF YOU I HAVE A FUCKING JOB."

"Ouch," Comic couldn't help but cringe.

Stretch rubbed his face, looking more tired than Blue has ever seen him (and that was saying something).

Red smirked. "Ya can get a new one. Sure yer gonna do great, boss. Ferget 'bout-" Red was cut off as he jumped out of the way of a hail of red bone constructs.

"I AM NOT FORGETTING ABOUT ANYTHING YOU FUCKING CUNT!!" Edge snapped. "I AM GOING BACK!! AND THANKS TO YOUR IDIOCY I ALSO HAVE TO DO DAMAGE CONTROL!!"

"Ya don't gotta do shit!!" Red snapped, finally starting to get irritated. "I keep tellin' ya we ain't goin' back!! We don't even gotta stay _here_ but we sure as fuck ain't goin' back t' that hellhole!!"

"IT IS MY HELLHOLE YOU PRICK, AND I SURE AS FUCK AM NOT LEAVING IT!!" Edge shouted over Rus's shoulder, shaking his fist.

"Why does he have to bring his family drama into everything?" Dance grumbled, sitting back down, hand going back to Tori's still tense shoulder.

"Just sit back and enjoy the show," Slim drawled, leaning back in his seat.

"Ya ain't fuckin' responsible fer th' goddamn underground, an' I ain't takin' ya back when i know how that shit's gonna end!" Red snapped back. "Give up! I win, we're movin', an' yer gonna fuckin' _like it_!!"

"LIKE HELL!!" Edge snarled at his brother.

"If we promise to take you back later, would you at least stay for the party?" Stretch asked.

Edge turned to glare at him. He clicked his teeth, but the tension was draining from his body. "I CANNOT STAY. I HAVE STAYED TOO DAMN LONG AS IT IS. YOU DO NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW MUCH FUCKING WORK I ACTUALLY DO. I _NEED_ TO GO BACK."

"We ain't goin' back." Red hissed, giving Stretch a dirty look.

"YOU CAN ABANDON ANYONE YOU DAMN WELL PLEASE, GO OFF AND LIVE IN WHATEVER UNIVERSE YOU DECIDE YOU WANT TO FUCK AROUND IN, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!! BUT I! AM! GOING! BACK!" Edge snarled. "UNLIKE YOU I WILL NOT LEAVE MY DEBTS UNPAID!!"

Red flinched at that, grinding his teeth and growling. "Shut th' fuck up, boss."

"I WILL SHUT UP WHEN YOU TAKE ME BACK AND I CAN START CLEANING UP THE FUCKING MESS YOU MADE!"

"We ain't goin' back!!"

" **T h a t . i s . e n o u g h .** "

Everyone snapped their head in Lust's direction.

Lust smiled sweetly, closing his sockets and taking a deep breath, his voice saccharine and cyanide as he spoke quietly in the now silent room. The air buzzed with energy, energy not malicious or expressly violent, but powerful, and dangerous, and very, very uncomfortably apparent. "Today is going to be a good day. We are going to all get along. We are going to make friends and enjoy each other's company. I am going to take a nap on Red's lap. Red is going to relax and stop getting defensive over every little thing. Edge is going to call Vengeance, explain that he is taking a well deserved vacation, and then also relax. We are going to meet our hosts and alleviate their concerns, so that they will be kind enough to do us this favor of keeping the machine safe for us. After the party is over, I will take Edge home." He opened his eye sockets, his eyelights glowing an eerie lavender, his expression giving Razz the strangest sense of deja vu. "We are all going to have a **f u n t i m e** , one way or another. _Are there any questions?_ "

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

"No? Good." Lust beamed, looking at Red. "That's your cue, sweetie. I wasn't kidding about that nap."

Red swallowed hard, then stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered over to a beanbag in the corner, flopping onto it like it was his idea. Lust got up and sat in his lap, nuzzling contentedly into his chest before starting to drift, purring.

Nobody said a damn thing when Edge went outside to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ Blue wouldn't have actually dusted Axe if he had hit... but it would have hurt like a bitch
> 
> ~ axe left cracks and footprints in the neighbor's fucking wall!! better hope the neighbor is cool, or the aftertale skelebros might be in trouble
> 
> ~ stretch is mortified about having his brother get protective of him in front of everyone... but he knows its cuz blue cares and his brother is so awesome he cant be mad
> 
> ~ slim gets why others don't see what he sees in razz but that doesn't mean he approves of their questioning razz's greatness
> 
> ~ dance can kinda sense what kind of magic that is in lust's collar (if he looks) so now he's all embarrassed by proxy
> 
> ~ omg red you stuFFED YoUR BrOTHER in A BAG and KIDNAPPED HIM
> 
> ~ this is probably not what anyone else was expecting but honestly they also should have seen it coming. especially lust. he overheard the conversation after all.
> 
> ~ red is the only one who can talk shit about edge. just like slim is the only one who can talk shit about (or touch, or look at with anything but absolute respect and reverence) razz.
> 
> ~ uf!flowey is best bud he's got edge's back 100%
> 
> ~ the argument isn't about attending or not attending a party: its about red not wanting edge to live in underfell. its also about edge not wanting to abandon the people there, when he is one of the few bastions of justice and integrity left (especially with any kind of power). edge refuses to leave undyne (vengeance) behind. or flowey. or his canine unit. he's also rather upset that red would even consider leaving grillby behind, when he knows how much grillby has done for the both of them. meanwhile red is thinking "do whats best for papyrus" even if its not the most ideal solution.
> 
> ~ if you havent already you can see [how red managed to stuff edge in a bag and kidnap him](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/34191962) there
> 
> ~ this is supposed to be a good day. lust is not taking any of this bullshit. he is having his good day and everyone is going to get along and be happy or so help you god because nobody else will save you from him
> 
> ~ lust wears the pants in this relationship and nobody who knows lust will ever judge red for it


	51. Afterparty (Pt 8) Edgy Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!_
> 
> Problematic behavior from more than one person in different ways. Also games are mentioned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This saga is lasting a long time. I think I should probably start putting more to the titles so i can kinda tell whats going on where
> 
> i better retroactively do that for all of them now that i think about it
> 
> also SORRY GUYS my job schedule changed so now my off days are different. so updates will be more likely on different days now
> 
> enjoy this garbage chapter that just doesn't have the kind of pump i wanted it to but the stuff needed to happen anyway

Red clicked his teeth irritably, trying to ignore the way the entire room was now staring in his direction. Lust snuggled himself comfortably into his chest, half covered by his coat, his soft gentle purring making Red's own ribs itch. Red dug his claws into the beanbag, firmly keeping his arms at his sides despite the overwhelming urge to wrap them around the monster in his lap.

He wanted to kill everyone here and then himself.

He wanted to sleep this off.

He wanted to drink for his hard won victory.

The silence was broken by Axe's laughter.

"Th' fucks so goddamn funny?!" Red hissed, putting as much irritation as he could into it. He knew it wasn't as much as he wanted (it was hard to hold on to his rage when Lust was sending him so many echoes of contentment, and purring so close).

"Which one of ya is the evil clone?" Axe asked between breathless wheezes.

Red clicked his teeth. "Come over here an' find out, crackhead."

Lust discreetly curled one arm around Red's back, under his coat, and started kneading at his spine through his sweater. "No more picking fights, please..." he murmured sleepily.

Red growled, repressing the shiver that wanted to go through him, and fighting back the itch in his ribs. He still had an image to maintain.

Mettaton looked at Pink. "Did... was Sans always that... unsettling?" He asked in a whisper.

Pink just shrugged. "He doesn't usually get angry, so... I don't know? He's never gotten that way around me before..." He kept his voice low, but his eyes were gentle and approving when they looked at his brother. Pink knew Lust had never gone out of his way to get particularly close with anyone (except maybe Grillby, and even that wasn't as close as Pink thought his brother needed). Seeing this, seeing his brother go out of his way to care about someone on such a deep level, made him happy.

But even _he_ had to admit that his brother could be very scary.

Slim watched the two with practical stars in his eye sockets.

Blue nodded in approval. Razz eyed Lust thoughtfully, appreciatively.

Suave was focused on the barest hint of gold he could just see peaking from under the couch.

Stretch and Rus were more concerned about Edge. They exchanged glances. There was a silent, mutual decision to give Edge a bit of space before going after him.

Tori took a deep breath, rubbing her face as she exhaled. Dance turned to her, squeezing gently at her shoulder. Gory put his hand on her head, rubbing between the nubby horns mostly concealed by her fur.

Comic sank gratefully into his beanbag, feeling emotionally drained.

Chara sighed, dropping their hands from Asriel's ears. Asriel shook his head, smoothing the fur back how he liked it. Then he and Sugar exchanged equally confused looks.

Axe snickered and giggled for a while longer, petering out with a satisfied sigh. He can't believe he got dinner _and_ a movie.

Red perked up at a sound only he seemed to hear. Everyone else, though, could hear After's voice as he started having a conversation.

"GOOD! YOU ARE BACK!! AND HELLO TINY HUMAN!! WHERE IS SANS??" There was a pause. Red was listening in to the other side of the conversation, the one too faint for the others to hear. Then After picked up again. "THATS WONDERFUL!! IT WILL BE EVEN BETTER!! I THINK MORE GUESTS HAVE ARRIVED WHILE YOU WERE OUT!! YOU CAN GO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!!"

Then the others all noticed approaching footsteps.

Geno peaked in through the doorway. His working eyelight dilated. "Woah! Okay, is this everyone?"

"Holy shit, his face..!" Red thought out loud. Lust smacked his chest lightly. Dance scowled at Red from across the room.

Comic winced in sympathy, but didn't say anything.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!" Rus, Suave, and Pink all asked at once, each alarmed to see a version of their brother seemingly hurt.

Geno froze, then smiled lazily. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, so, seems a friend wants to meet you all too. Room for one more?"

Stretch smiled. "What did After say before? 'The more the merriest'?"

"Fer fucks sake," Red grumbled, rubbing his sockets with one hand. Comic, Dance, and Geno all snickered, but Dance kept that supportive hand on Tori's shoulder.

"Welp, you heard them. Come on in, buddy, say hi." Geno waved at someone out of sight.

After a moment, in walked a small human child, shorter than Geno by nearly a head. They had short brown hair, their bangs nearly obscuring their eyes. They wore a familiar blue-and-purple striped sweater. They were significantly smaller and younger, but they were clearly recognizable to everyone who had met Frisk.

It was Frisk. Just younger and smaller than Comic's Frisk. Heck, the kid was smaller than Comic!

Frisk looked around the room, grinning brightly. They hadn't been told what to expect other than 'alternate universes were visiting for a party.' They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Then their gaze landed on Chara and Asriel.

Frisk went rigid. They looked at the Storyshift siblings. Rei looked back, confused. Chara fought down their distaste and animosity, their body tensing. Red light flickered in their eyes before they got a handle on it.

Frisk darted over, tackling the bigger human in a hug. Chara bristled, getting knocked to the floor beside Asriel. Frisk gripped Rei's arm, yanking _them_ closer, pulling them into the hug too. Chara and Rei exchanged looks, both of them perplexed by such bewildering behavior from what was by all rights a total stranger.

Shining eyes watched from underneath the couch.

"I am so happy..." Frisk whispered. "You have no idea... To know that, at least somewhere, you're both okay..." The child started shaking, a single tear trailing down their cheek. "Somewhere... you're _both_ okay..."

Geno watched impassively. He figured that Frisk would react to Chara and Asriel that way. He'd just let the human have their moment.

Chara looked down at the child Frisk, then back at Rei, then at Stretch, then at Frisk again. Rei patted Frisk's back, returning the hug. "Does that mean... we're _not_ okay... here..?" The goat asked.

Frisk squeezed tighter in response.

Axe hooked two of his phalanges into his right socket and tugged. Looking at Frisk made his head hurt, like a memory was trying to break out from the inside with a jackhammer. He focused on repressing a few of his more violent impulses, distracting himself with another slice of pizza.

"TINY HUMAN!!" Sugar squealed. Frisk let go to turn and look at him. Sugar scooped the child up in his long arms and pulled them into a hug of his own. "IT IS YOU!!! I THINK?? IS THIS 'GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN' OR 'NICE TO MEET YOU'??? OR MAYBE 'GREAT TO MEET YOU AGAIN'?? YES!! THAT FEELS RIGHT!!" He let up on his death-grip to look Frisk in the eyes. "IT IS GREAT TO MEET YOU AGAIN, TINY HUMAN!! IT HAS BEEN SO LONG BUT YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL!! MOSTLY!!! OH HOW WONDERFUL!!!" He squeezed the human tightly again.

"Nah, aint the same one, bro," Axe said casually, his eyelight glowing brighter with recognition. He'd remembered something. "After all, the human we knew would still have Asgore's SOUL. Unless, of course, they smashed it."

Toriel grabbed tightly to her brother's hand, bristling with both fear and indignation. Gory swallowed thickly, trying not to let it show how unnerved he was by that implication. Rei and Chara exchanged looks of horror and shock. In the back, Red grinned at the idea.

Geno looked at Axe, eyelight guttering out as something clicked into place for him. Frisk flinched.

"OH!! YES, THATS RIGHT!!" Sugar conceded, setting Frisk down. "IT IS STILL GREAT TO MEET YOU AGAIN, THOUGH, TINY HUMAN!!" He smiled brightly despite his crooked teeth.

"It is great to meet you again too, Papyrus," Frisk said, offering a hand to shake. Sugar took it and shook it enthusiastically.

There might have been more introductions, but everyone turned their heads when they heard a shout from outside.

* * *

Edge stomped outside, shaking off the last tingling traces of Lust's influence. He did NOT like that guy. At all. He was dangerous. And he was hanging all over his brother. His 1-HP brother. No, Edge did NOT LIKE that at all. Dangerous things shouldn't be anywhere near his brother. His asshole brother, who couldn't think of anything but himself and what he wanted, who gave up on trying a long time ago and was a selfish drug-addict... Only Edge was allowed to smack that smug ass smirk off his goddamn face. With a crowbar. That was on fire. With nails taped to it. Rusty nails.

Edge took a deep breath. That was just the LV talking (right?). And besides, he needed to make sure the Underground would hold together while he was stuck here. Calling Vengeance was a good idea. He probably would have thought of it himself, after he had wrestled back control of his LV. He just hoped that, somehow, he got reception.

He dialed the number, tapping his foot irritably as he waited, and waited, and waited. It wasn't unusual for Undyne to answer after the fifth or sixth ring (even though, by all rights, since she had a distinct ringtone denoting it was HIM calling, she should pick up by the second ring). Finally, the dial tone shut off. "Yes, Captain?!" Vengeance snapped, making it sound more like _'What the hell do you want?!'_

The picture in Edge's head came into focus. Vengeance was sweating, a savage temmie pinned under one foot, another temmie struggling and snarling in her left hand, held at arms length as she tucked her phone between her shoulder and head. There was a third temmie held at bay by her GREEN magic, also throwing a tantrum. There was a discarded bag of temmie flakes on the ground. Edge smirked. "I SEE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL."

"Yeah. I. Do." Vengeance grunted, elbowing another temmie in the face, sending the plush toy flying. "Where are you, anyway?! Shouldn't you be here by now?!"

"SANS."

Vengeance made a face. " _Of fucking course,_ " she growled, grabbing the phone with her free hand and smashing the temmie in her hand into the dirt.

Edge was rapidly calming down. His second-in-command was perfectly capable of handling things for a few hours. She was clearly in control. Although, as he watched her at work, from this distance where he couldn't feel the killing intent of her or her enemies, his mind was wandering to other things. Things his mind should not be wandering to. He ground his teeth, forcing himself to focus. "YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE OVER FOR ME FOR A WHILE. SANS HAS DRAGGED ME THROUGH HIS SPACE-TIME BULLSHIT TO ANOTHER UNIVERSE, AND I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN FOR AT LEAST A FEW HOURS."

"Wait, he can DO THAT?!" Vengeance snapped, her grip tightening on the temmie sharply in her surprise. The monster wheezed, then went still, then crumbled to dust. "Shit," She muttered, shaking her hand to dislodge the dust now on her gloves. Edge noted with no small amount of pleasure that the temmie under her boot was much less angry and much more terrified for its life.

"APPARENTLY," Edge growled, still pissed about it.

"Well, whats it like?! Is everyone FreExp, like those punks that came to visit??" Vengeance asked, turning around just in time to grab at the other temmie just as the GREEN magic faded. It bit her, making her curse before slamming it face first in the dirt as well.

"FOR THE MOST PART. WHAT IS MORE INTERESTING IS THAT THEY-"

"What the HELL HAPPENED TO MY HOUSE?!?!" A voice that was not from the phone shouted.

Edge bristled, brandishing a bone construct as he spun to face the noise (and possible threat). Instinctively he pressed out his intent, a warning to let anyone in the immediate area know he was there, and was not to be messed with.

There, looking up at what were clearly footprints in the side of her house, was (an) Undyne. At her feet were plastic grocery bags she had dropped in her shock, an orange rolling out of one. She was wearing slightly ripped jeans and a white wife-beater, the scales on her arms shining in the midday sun.

And beside her was (an) Alphys, in a pink shirt with some cartoon figure on it and cargo shorts. She was clutching two more grocery bags of her own, looking between the damage to the wall and Undyne with apprehension and worry, sweating. "I-its okay! I-I don't think it h-hurt the s-structure?? W-we can f-fix it! I th-think..?"

Paci, clutching more bags, looked up at the footprints with obvious confusion. He was the first to notice Edge. "Holy... hey, are you okay?!?!"

Undyne turned. She saw Edge, covered in dust, dirt, sweat, red flower petals, and scars. "You PUNK!!" She snapped, throwing herself at him, a spear coming up to meet his bone club. "What the HELL did you do THAT for?!"

Edge parried her strike, knocking her spear out of her hand and sending it flying so hard it impaled itself into the side of the shed. At the same time, he gripping her in BLUE magic and slamming her down into the dirt. "I HAVEN'T DONE A DAMN THING YET, BITCH! BUT IF YOU WANT TO FUCKING SEE THE KIND OF DAMAGE I CAN DO, I WILL FUCKING SHOW YOU!!"

Alphys set her bags down as quickly and carefully as possible, before rushing over. "P-Papyrus!! I know you guys l-like to roughhouse b-but this is t-too much!"

"Is that ALPHYS?!?!" Vengeance's voice came from the phone, and Edge could see she was less than happy. "Papyrus, you scrawny bastard, you got kidnapped by that skank again, didn't you?!"

Edge snarled. "NO!! I TOLD YOU IT WAS FUCKING SANS!!!"

"Then why the hell do I head ALPHYS over there?!?!" Vengeance demanded, outraged. She was netting the temmies together, and had just tied the last knot. She handed the bundle off to Greater Dog, who then bounded off with them, leaving Vengeance to walk home alone.

"BECAUSE MY PHONE HAS A WORKING MICROPHONE AND ISNT A PIECE OF SHIT!!" Edge let go of Undyne with his magic and stomped off to another corner of the yard. "WHEN I FUCKING SAY IT WAS SANS, I MEAN IT WAS SANS!! I AM IN ANOTHER FUCKING UNIVERSE AND THIS ONE UNFORTUNATELY ALSO HAS A SHITTY ASS LIZARD STINKING IT UP."

Undyne let out a gasp, as if coming up for air, and pushed herself onto her knees.

"WHAT HAPPENED??" Rus asked as soon as he made it out the door. Concern was written on his face and dripping from his voice. He offered Undyne a hand.

Undyne snapped her head up so fast it made a cracking noise. "How DARE he talk that way about Alphys!" She stood up and made to march for the still irritated monster, but Rus positioned himself between them, blocking her path.

Stretch poked his head out next. "Everything okay, Edge?"

Alphys looked between Rus, Stretch, and Edge, flabbergasted.

Edge flipped Stretch off, ignoring them all as he listened to Vengeance bitch. "What the hell?! How come YOU get an inter-dimensional vacation and I DON'T?!"

"WE CANNOT BOTH HAVE TIME OFF!!" Edge snarled.

"Bullshit!! We take days off together all the fucking time!!" Vengeance snapped, kicking open the door to her house and then slamming it shut. "Hell, its the only fucking time we tend to get!!"

Edge felt his cheeks burn. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE START PUNNING AT ME, YOU INSUBORDINATE BITCH!!"

"Either you send one of those FreExp punks to come get me, and bring me wherever the hell it is you are, or I'm storming that lizard's lab and hunting you down!" Vengeance growled. "I know you!"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I LIE ABOUT THIS?!?!" Edge snapped back.

"Because you're a prideful son of a bitch and you learned from your dick brother how to never ask for help! We're ALLIES, Papyrus!"

"THATS CAPTAIN TO YOU!"

"Yeah, Captian job-stealing-jackass!! Captain double-standards!! Captain I'll-make-excuses-for-my-dickwad-brother-but-I-won't-ask-my-second-in-command-to-bust-our-bony-asses-out-of-prison-because-oh-look-I-can-do-it-myself-oh-wait-no-I-fucking-can't!!!"

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!!" Edge practically howled.

"What are you gonna do about it, bonehead?" 

Stretch and Rus exchanged looks. "I THINK MISS VENGEANCE IS UPSET..."

Edge fumed. "FINE!! FUCKING FINE!! PUT THE DOGS ON HIGH ALERT!! I WILL ORDER ONE OF THESE FREEXP FUCKS TO FETCH YOU! YOU WILL SEE THAT I _AM_ IN FACT STUCK IN THIS OTHER FUCKING UNIVERSE BECAUSE _SANS IS A DICK_ , AND THEN WHEN WE BOTH RETURN AND FIND THE UNDERGROUND A DUSTY FUCKING WARZONE IT WILL BE _YOU_ DOING ALL THAT GODDAMN PAPERWORK!!" He snapped his head back to Stretch. "YOU!! ASHTRAY!! FETCH MY SECOND IN COMMAND!! SHE IS IN HER HOME!!"

Rus perked up. "OOH!! VENGEANCE IS COMING TOO!! WONDERFUL!!"

Stretch looked at Paci. "Uh, if thats okay with you..? I know theres already a lot more of us than you probably expected..."

Paci shook himself out of his daze. "Uh... 'Vengeance'..?"

"EDGY ME'S UNDYNE!!" Rus provided helpfully. "SHE IS VERY COOL!! AND STRONG!! AND THEY ARE VERY CLOSE!!"

Stretch blushed just remembering the evidence they had seen about exactly how close Edge and Vengeance were.

"IT MIGHT HELP HIM ADAPT BETTER, TO HAVE SOMEONE SO CLOSE IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT!! ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS STILL ARGUING WITH GRUMPY BROTHER," Rus pointed out. "AFFECTIONATE BROTHER IS DOING WONDERS FOR GRUMPY BROTHER, AFTER ALL!! AND SALTY BROTHER IS HELPING MISS TORI OUT!! IT STANDS TO REASON IT WOULD BE THE SAME FOR EDGY ME TOO!"

"Tori's here??" Paci asked, surprised.

"Not the one you know," Stretch answered.

"Is ANYONE going to tell me what the heck happened to my HOUSE?!" Undyne demanded.

"OH??" Rus looked at the house. "THAT HAPPENED WHEN EXCITED BROTHER AND HUNGRY BROTHER WERE SPARRING. IT WAS A VERY GOOD MATCH!! THOSE ARE HUNGRY BROTHER'S SHOE-PRINTS!"

"Sorry about that, by the way," Stretch apologized. "We'll fix it, probably. Sans'll want to, at least."

Undyne looked at Paci. Paci snickered. "I mean, yeah, I'll wanna get it fixed up, too, but I think he's talking about _his_ Sans. His brother...?" He looked at Stretch as his intonation lifted into a question.

"We're calling him Blue, apparently," Stretch offered. "He's the one with the starry eyelights and blue bandanna."

"HURRY THE HELL UP, ASHTRAY!!" Edge snapped, coming closer. He had hung up the phone and was now approaching again. Undyne tensed, stepping more solidly between him and Alphys.

"Hey, I'm quitting," Stretch said with mock defensiveness.

"WHICH IS WHY YOU FUCKING REAK OF SMOKE AND HONEY AND BAD DECISIONS."

"Careful, or someone might think you care."

"ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD MAKE THAT MISTAKE."

"Don't think a guy like this should even _STAY_ ," Undyne growled. "Throwing me around, talking bad about Alphy..."

Stretch and Rus exchanged looks. "PLEASE FORGIVE EDGY ME HIS BAD MANNERS. HE HAS HAD... A STRESSFUL DAY. AND WHILE IT ISN'T AN EXCUSE, THE ALPHYS _HE_ KNOWS IS... TRYING."

"YOUR OPTIMISM IS SICKENING," Edge huffed. "ALMOST AS SICKENING AS-"

He went still, listening to something with slowly widening sockets.

They all heard a high pitched scream of distress come from inside the house.

* * *

Red, upon hearing his brother's shout of challenge to what he could only deduce was an Undyne, had tried to get up. Lust gripped tighter on his spine, shushing him with a gentle reassuring voice. Red might have insisted, but he saw Rus and Stretch run out to investigate, and Red could still hear everything going on out there. He didn't hear anything worrisome, besides a voice too similar to Alphys'. And Alphys wasn't a threat to Edge. Not here. Not when she didn't have anything to hold over his head.

Dance scowled in the direction of where he knew the activity was. "Can't take either of them anywhere," he muttered.

Tori squeezed his hand reassuringly. Dance squeezed back.

Comic sighed, rubbing his face. He was low key worried for Rus, but he didn't have the energy to get up and go after them. His brother would be fine, surely.

Geno narrowed his eyelights after the two monsters who had gone out for damage control. He was still nervous about leaving these alternate reality doubles to their own devices, but he himself couldn't very well complain, being not that much different. He instead decided it would be better to stay in the sunroom with the majority. Walking over to a cabinet against the wall by the doorway, he pulled out a few board games. "We can't all play video games at once."

"Guess that would be pretty _card,_ " Comic replied, smirking. "What, afraid we'll get _board_?"

"Just figured you might want to _yatzee_ what we had, instead of _scrabble_ -ing for small talk," Geno answered, grinning back.

Blue looked at the pile of games now in Geno's hands, eyelights spinning and pulsing brightly in excitement. "THERE ARE SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM!!"

Razz peered carefully at the options. "WHAT IS 'CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY'? IT SOUNDS... USEFUL."

Suave let his gaze pull away from the spot of gold under the couch, looking at the games as well.

Geno went ridged, setting the stack of games on the table and quickly swiping the CAH box up. "Oops, uh, how did that get here? Heh..." He was really glad After wasn't in the room: this was the one game in the house the younger skeleton wasn't supposed to know about.

Slim shortcut behind Geno, and used his superior height to snag the box. "'A Party Game for Horrible People.' Guess that leaves ya out, huh, lil Blue?" He teased easily. Blue giggled, making a face back at Slim.

Lust and Pink looked at each other from their spots, sharing knowing looks.

Gory squinted at the box again from his seat. "WHY WOULD THEY MAKE A GAME JUST FOR BAD PEOPLE?? IS IT TO HELP THEM BE BETTER??"

Geno started to sweat.

"OOH! A GAME ABOUT BUTTER??" Sugar perked up, setting his video game controller down and crossing the room excitedly.

"He said _better_ ," Axe chimed in, listening with mild interest.

"HE DOES NOT HAVE A BUTT, SO HOW CAN HE HURT IT??"

"Not _butt-hurt_ , paps, I said _better_!"

"WHATS BETTER THAN BUTTER?"

" _Nobody said anything about any fucking butter!!_ "

"LANGUAGE!!" Blue chastised.

Then soft wheezing drifted from under the couch. Suave and Frisk both snapped their attention to it. Frisk crawled over and reached their hand underneath, gripping hold of something soft and fragile.

"H-hey! Let go!! Let me go!!" The voice demanded, trying to sound scary and intimidating, but only really managing to sound scared.

Frisk gave a gentle but firm tug.

"Oww!! I said let go!!"

"PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM!" Suave pleaded, making Dance pay more attention.

Frisk darted their other hand in, gripping onto something more firm, closer to the floor. It was fibrous, and sturdy. They tugged a bit harder on this.

"No! No, let go! Let go!! I said let go!! PAPYRUS!!! HELP!!"

The next thing Frisk knew, gravity was so strong they feared their ribs would crack just from breathing. They heard other yelps from around the room, as they were not the only one hit by the area effect BLUE magic.

Calm, but decidedly angry footsteps came closer, until Edge was looming in the doorway, agitated red magic crackling up and down his right arm. "LET. THE FLOWER. GO. **NOW.** "

Frisk, terrified, only clung tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ so geno and frisk now get that axe and sugar are the result of a neutral run left to run its course, and hot damn he's not sure how he feels about that.
> 
> ~ Paci is frozen because 'did papyrus just say fuck?!'
> 
> ~ Vengeance would never talk that way to Edge's face, but if he isn't there, well, she's still an Undyne
> 
> ~ is this implying alphys kidnapped red and edge?? got red then used him to get to edge??? is this what happened????
> 
> ~ also, yeah, brain, go ahead and add yet ANOTHER character to this huge ass party when you can barely keep up with the ones you already have! yeah. thats totally smart. you do that. fuck you, brain. fuck you, story.
> 
> ~ Geno and Paci play CAH together when After-rus is too busy and can't make it home for whatever reason. they think its hilarious, but not appropriate for their precious little brother Papyrus who is innocent and sweet and could not possibly know about dick jokes even though he works with human politicians and police daily *sarcasm*
> 
> ~ oh shit frisk you made the edgelord angry you messed with his flower you did a dumb frisk abort abort abort


	52. Afterparty (Pt 9) More Drama but with a Pinch of Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!!_
> 
> More dramatic tension and awkward exchanges. also the last late arrival arrives. also someone mentions cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so bad and awful and stupid i dont like this chapter much but it has to happen to get to the good shit

Edge heard the weed who had been his staunch ally cry out for help.

He came, and he came down like the wrath of the gods.

Edge threw out his area affect BLUE attach at the house, catching hold of the first 16 SOULs he could get his hands on (his limit, last he checked) and bringing down as much pressure as he knew a physical form could endure without permanent damage.

Then he marched into the house. And he saw a tiny human, arms still stretched under the couch where he knew Flowey had hidden.

Most of the other occupants in the room were smashed either face up or face down into the surface below them. Razz managed to stay on his feet, spreading them wider to better manage his center of gravity and hunching his shoulders. He ground his teeth, scowling, fists clenched and half outstretched to assist in his balance. Slim doubled over from the weight of it, only managing to keep his footing for a few moments before sinking to one knee, then sank face down.

Blue struggled to push himself off the floor, and he did manage to get to his knees... for about two seconds, after which he crumpled prostrate once again. Dance, Comic, Tori, and Gory were all pressed into their respective beanbags. Dance didn't let go of Tori's hand, sure that she must be terrified out of her mind right now. Tori appreciated it, giving and getting that same reassurance from Gory on her other side. Suave had fallen back into the cupboard, sliding to the floor and then onto his side there.

Mettaton's body let out a noise like bending metal, and he winced. Pink yelped, clinging to his boyfriend and trying not to worry about what that sound meant (and failing, his was very worried). Sugar was pinned supine, straining to sit back up, making stressed "NYEEEEEEEEH" noises with each attempt. Axe was sinking even further into the couch than before, his red eyelight blowing out to engulf his entire socket before constricting to a pinprick of barely contained panic.

Chara had reacted to the sense of BLUE magic like they always did to distress, by SAVEing. They twisted so they would fall on their back, gripped onto Rei and pulled the goat on top of them, so that their brother wouldn't hit the floor and hurt himself. Asriel, unfamiliar with BLUE magic, bleated in alarm, and hid his face in Chara's shoulder. Chara gritted their teeth, the added weight of their brother making their body ache. They swore they felt something snap in their chest, but they ignored it, more concerned with making whatever this was as comfortable as possible for their brother.

When the BLUE magic had hit Geno, he had been close to the table. He went down hard, smacking his face into the table corner with a loud crack before rolling to one side.

Lust, left untouched by the magic, looked up at the sounds of distress. He saw everyone hit the floor. He heard the crack when Geno hit his head. He slid out of Red's lap and shortcut over, hovering over Geno's prone form anxiously, phalanges already glowing with magic.

"DO NOT MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF, HUMAN," Edge said calmly. He didn't speak with the calm of someone who wasn't upset. He spoke with the calm of someone who was beyond fury, and who knew that there would be hellish consequences if he were not obeyed.

Frisk started to feel light headed, their grip going lax on the plant.

Flowey immediately pulled away and into the carpet, popping back up at Edge's feet.

"Grab it, boss," Red growled almost cheerfully, the whine of a blaster echoing in the air.

"PUT THAT SHIT AWAY, YOU ASS," Edge snapped, bracing his hands on his hips and holding perfectly still. Flowey, shaking like a literal leaf, used his vines to latch onto Edge's boots, then crawled up Edge's leg as quickly as possible. When he reached Edge's waist, he started crawling up his arm, all the way to his shoulders. Edge let his BLUE attack dissipate as soon as Flowey was nestled safely under his scarf, his vines wrapping loosely around his neck beneath the crimson fabric. There was only the slightest lump to indicate where the flower was now hiding, and even that would only appear to be another fold in the material to anyone who didn't already know the plant was ensconced there. The whole process took maybe five seconds, and nobody in front of Edge would have noticed unless they were watching for it, as Flowey used the thickness of Edge's armor to hide the majority of his body from view.

Rus and Stretch, however, had had the perfect angle to watch it happen from behind. Both of them stood frozen just inside the sunroom doorway and watched Flowey scale up his skeleton protector, then disappear into his hiding place. Paci came running in a moment later from the other direction, having dropped off the groceries he had in the kitchen with After-rus.

As soon as the BLUE magic eased off, everyone who had suffered under its influence groaned.

"Geno?!" Paci called, panic making his voice a few octaves higher than it should have been. He shortcut to his double's side, shaking.

Lust carefully turned Geno over onto his front, wincing when he saw that, yes, there was a nasty looking crack now bisecting his disfigured eye socket. Paci sucked in a breath. "Oh, stars, Geno..! What-?!"

"He fell wrong and hit his head on the table, I think," Lust said calmly as he gingerly put his hands over the wound, the amethyst light bleeding from him, guiding those imperceivable sparks of green into the injured monster's skull, willing the crack to mend. The bone there resisted the act, being at once too malleable and too rigid, and it took more energy than Lust thought it should to heal the injury. He was sweating and drained by the end of it.

Red shortcut to Lust's side, steadying him where he knelt with one claw. He looked over Geno, who lay there still dazed and confused. Then he shot Lust a dirty look. "Dumbass."

Lust shrugged, reaching up and threading his fingers through Red's on his shoulder. "Maybe teach your brother to be more gentle and I won't have to drain myself cleaning up after him, sweetie."

"That _was_ gentle," Red grumbled. "Didn't dust no one 'r nothin'..."

Paci pulled Geno's head into his lap, elevating it slightly. Geno groaned, reaching up to clutch at his bad socket, muttering "Owwwww," under his breath.

Stretch pushed passed Edge about the same time Paci darted in. "Sans?! Are you okay?!"

"A-OKAY!!" Blue answered from his spot on the ground, rolling onto his back and putting his hand in the air to display a thumbs up.

Stretch sighed in relief, then turned to check on Chara.

Rei slid off of his human sibling, making another pathetic bleating noise. Chara bit back a yelp of their own, one hand coming up to clutch at their side. They pressed gently, wincing. Yup, broken rib. That was going to hurt _all day_.

Stretch knelt down next to Chara, zeroing in on where their hand was and how they were holding themselves. "You're hurt." It wasn't a question.

"Chara's hurt?!" Asriel bristled, scooting closer. "Where?? How bad??? Oh..! What do I do..?"

Chara started to sit up. "Calm down, bro, I'm fine." A soft whine escaped them as they eased all the way up.

Stretch, gently but firmly made them lay back down. "Don't move around, like that. Moving when you're hurt will just make it worse."

"What am I supposed to do, then, partner?" Chara teased, snickering. "Gonna have me lay here forever?"

Stretch looked up to see where Lust was. Seeing their resident healer already tired out, Stretch looked for the next best thing. "Red! Come here for a sec, would you?"

"What fer?" Red asked, not moving or even looking up.

"I think Chara's hurt. Come heal it?"

Red scowled, looking almost offended by the request. Lust went to get up, to do it himself, but Red pressed down on his shoulder, a silent command to stay put. He then stuffed his hands in his pockets and crossed the room. "Why ya always gotta come cryin' t' when ya need this shit? Ask Slim fer once."

"Nah, can't. Too traumatized. Besides, I aint as good as ya at that," Slim deflected, grinning.

"Ya mean yer a lazy fuckin' bastard, is what ya mean," Red snapped, kneeling down next to Chara. He scowled, moving Chara's hand away irritably. He poked and prodded at the area, looking for the actual break. Chara yelped involuntarily when he found it. "Wuss," Red commented, before getting to work, the angry red glow of his claws seeping into the human's body, muted green sparks barely visible before being consumed.

Edge crossed his arms and glared at Stretch. "WELL?? GO GET HER ALREADY!!"

Stretch had almost forgotten. He looked at Red, then at Chara. Stretch then stood up, trusting Red to do a good job, and shortcut away.

"Get who?" Dance asked, not liking the sound of that.

"VENGEANCE!!" Rus said excitedly. "EDGY ME!! ARE YOU GOING TO INTRODUCE US TO YOUR LITTLE FLOWER FRIEND??"

Edge ignored the question, like he hadn't heard.

Frisk stood up, finally, shaking themselves and patting themselves down. They weren't really hurt, just a bit dizzy. "I am... sorry, Flowey. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just so excited to see you again."

Edge pointedly ignored the human as well. Flowey did not come out from his hiding place.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault," Frisk apologized, hugging themselves. "I shouldn't have grabbed at you and scared you."

"Damn right, it was your fault," Chara chastised. "Who goes around picking people up without even asking? Were you raised in a barn?"

"Whats a barn?" Rei asked, more trying to distract their sibling from their harsh judgement than anything else.

"Its a simple building where humans keep farm animals and farming supplies, usually lacking more domestic utilities like air conditioning, plumbing, and electricity," Chara explained patiently. "The phrase is generally used to mean, 'were you raised without thought to manners or proper social decorum?'"

Frisk ducked their head.

"Shut th' fuck up," Red hissed, glaring. "Yer talkin's makin' this harder 'n it already is."

The front door of the house opened, smacking against the wall with a sharp clack. "Hey Paps!!" Undyne's voice rang out for everyone to hear (except Sugar). Axe tensed, freezing mid-bite into his pizza slice. The door slammed shut a moment later.

"HELLO, UNDYNE!!" After-rus greeted. "WONDERFUL TIMING!!! WE ARE HAVING A PARTY WITH OTHER ME'S AND OTHER BROTHERS AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER!!! DO YOU WANT TO COME TOO?? THE TINY HUMAN IS ALREADY INSIDE!!"

"We already met one of them," Undyne huffed. "And another apparently owes me big time!"

"SPLENDID!!! ALREADY MAKING FRIENDS! HERE, TAKE THESE IN, I AM SURE THEY ARE GETTING HUNGRY!" After-rus said.

Moments later Alphys and Undyne came down the hall and into the room. They both stopped in the doorway, stunned. Undyne dropped the platter of cookies. Sugar dove to catch them before they hit the floor.

"Oh... my... god..!" Alphys gasped. "S-so many..! And- Is that Toriel and Asgore?!?"

"Oh my god, it is. Its a mini Asgore." Undyne gesticulated wildly. "He's travel sized!! I could benchpress him!!"

"PLEASE DO- UH, NOT. PLEASE DO NOT." Asgore fumbled over his words, staring blatantly at Undyne while trying hard not to. Tori elbowed him gently, raising an eyebrow. Gory blushed and looked away, deciding the window was particularly interesting.

Sugar stood up, sighing in relief as he saw he had successfully rescued the cookies.

"Woah..!" Undyne looked up at Sugar, who, unlike most Papyri (and monsters in general), was taller than her by a few good feet. "What happened to your face?? It looks like you tried to fight a wall with it!!"

Axe bristled.

Sugar laughed. "NOT AT ALL!! ALTHOUGH I HAD QUITE A FEW INTIMATE ENCOUNTERS WITH YOUR FIST!" he said pleasantly. Undyne's eye went wide, her scales paling to a sickly pastel color. Sugar either didn't notice, or chose not to remark on it. "OR UNDYNE'S FIST?? ANYWAY, IT IS GREAT TO MEET YOU AGAIN, NOT-MY-UNDYNE!!" He shook her hand, having to reach down and grab it from her side and wiggle it himself to accomplish the motion, then turned to offer Edge a cookie from the platter. Edge dismissed the offer with a curt flick of his wrist, looking his taller alternate up and down before taking a more defensible spot against the wall.

Sugar walked around the room, offering everyone a cookie.

Red finally finished working on Chara's rib, pulling his claws away. "There."

"Thanks," Chara said, patting their side before standing up.

"Don't mention it. Ever." Red went back to his beanbag in the far corner.

"I have so many questions..!" Alphys wheezed, quivering excitedly.

Geno finally sat up, blinking. "What hit me..?"

"Him," Lust pointed tiredly at Edge. "Sorry about all this. We aren't all very good at interacting with people."

Slim snickered, again examining the CAH box with mild interest. "Whats a party without a few dangerous types?"

"Enjoyable?" Dance offered.

"BORING," Razz answered, curling a finger to order Slim closer. Slim came and stood by his side. "SINCE THEN I WOULD NOT BE THERE TO GIVE YOUR PATHETIC LIVES MEANING," Razz continued, holding his hand palm up. Slim obeyed the silent command, placing the card game in his grasp. Razz started to examine it himself.

Pink cleared his throat. "WOULD ANYONE HERE MIND GIVING US A SHORTCUT HOME??"

"Pappy, no, don't make a scene," Mettaton tried to shush him.

"Whats wrong, bro?" Lust asked, finally getting to his feet and stumbling back to curl up in Red's lap again, swiping a cookie from Sugar on his way over and scarfing it down (the smooth motion far more sensual than it had any right to be, especially considering how little effort and conscious thought he put into it).

"METTATON MIGHT HAVE A BENT SOMETHING BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN WHAT OR HOW TO FIX IT??" Pink admitted. "AND WE NEED TO GET HIM CHECKED OVER JUST IN CASE!!"

"Pappy! I am fine! See? Let me stand up and I'll show you," Mettaton whined, blushing profusely. Pink let him up reluctantly. Mettaton stood, took two steps, spun, and looked back at his boyfriend. "See? My pressure gauges never exceeded my limitations. I am just fine."

"AND THAT IS WHY YOUR LEG IS SHAKING." Pink deadpanned. "AND WHY YOU ARE LEANING ODDLY TO ONE SIDE WHEN YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE MOST PERFECT POSTURE. YOU NEED TO GET YOURSELF LOOKED AT."

"Pappy... Look, I'll call Alphys when we go home, but we don't need to leave so soon. I know how excited you were to come, to meet all these interesting new possibilities..."

Pink's expression softened. He stood up, taking Mettaton's hands in his own and kissing his knuckles. "But your well being is so much more important. I would never put simple curiosity or a social event over your health," he purred, voice dipping into that lower register, velvet and hypnotic.

"I-I wouldn't mind t-taking a look..?" Alphys offered, shyly. "I-if you d-don't mind, th-that is..."

Pink and Mettaton looked at Alphys. Mettaton looked at Pink, squeezing tighter as he took a deep breath, like it was a difficult thing to answer. "Okay. Okay, I'll get looked over. But not here? Is there somewhere more private..?"

Alphys blinked. "W-well, we could go back t-to our house, j-just next door. M-my tools are there a-anyway, so..."

Mettaton nodded, starting to walk over to join Alphys. Pink darted up to his one side, slinging his arm under the robots and supporting him on so he could keep his weight off what was looking more and more like an injured hip. Alphys led the way towards the back door (being closer and thereby more convenient for Mettaton.

Undyne stayed behind, looking around the room. "So. Which one of you put their footprints in my wall?"

"No regrets," Axe said with a smirk.

"You better at least help me fix it!" Undyne snapped.

"Who died and made you queen?" Axe snarked, grinning wider at his own joke. He tugged at his empty socket lightly, eerie red gaze locked on the fish monster he so strongly despised. "I don't owe you anything."

"I SUPPOSE THAT IS TRUE!! I'M TECHNICALLY THE REASON HE WENT FALLING INTO YOUR WALL!!" Blue piped up. "I WILL GLADLY ASSIST IN REPAIRING IT!"

"Well, uh, good!" Undyne responded, having expected more of a fight, and now feeling deflated. She looked back at Axe, then at Blue, then at Axe again. "Is that... hole in your head from the sparring match?"

"Nope."

"How did you get it?"

Axe leaned forward, eyelight constricting, his voice getting lower. "Do ya _really_ wanna know?"

Beset by that expression, Undyne decided that, for once, she didn't.

It was at this point that Vengeance, dressed in her casual wear, wandered into the house, looking a bit dazed.

"BELIEVE ME NOW, BITCH??" Edge asked.

"Yeah. Yeah. Ok." She turned on Edge. "Can you do that too?"

"DO WHAT??"

"That thing with your magic?? Make skin?? Like a whole stomach?? And abs??"

"WHAT?!?!?" Edge sputtered.

Slim braced himself against the wall and thanked the stars he didn't need to breath, laughing so hard no sound came out. Razz smacked his leg, but that only made Slim laugh harder.

Chara wiggled their eyebrows at Stretch as he rounded into the room. "I think he can~" The human tattled.

Tori side eyed Dance. Dance had turned a lovely shade of cobalt from the uppermost tips of his eye sockets to his teeth, and had by this point pulled his hood down over his head as far as it would go to hide.

Lust wheezed breathlessly into Red's equally shaking shoulders.

"NEVER ASK ME THAT AGAIN!!" Edge ordered, the faintest dusting of red light on his defined cheekbones.

"Whatever you say, Captain," Vengeance said carefully, trying (and failing) keep her voice even.

Footsteps echoed. Moments later, After-rus appeared in the doorway. "IS EVERYONE HERE??" he asked, eyelights sparkling as he took in his many colorful guests.

"Almost," Stretch remarked. "Looks like Pink and Mettaton are missing..?"

"Went with Alphys to get a tune up," Comic answered. "Edge over there _blue_ a fuse."

Stretch eyed Edge, but sighed.

"SO ALPHYS, THE ONE NAMED PINK, AND A METTATON ARE ABSENT??" After-rus verified. He smiled. "SPLENDID!! THEN I WILL FETCH US ALL REFRESHMENTS, AND THEN WHEN THEY RETURN, WE CAN ALL HAVE A FUN GAME OF INTRODUCTIONS!!"

"WONDERFUL IDEA!!" Suave agreed. "AND WE CAN TELL EACH OTHER ABOUT OUR UNIVERSES AND ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!! AND OUR BROTHERS TOO!!"

"YAY!!" Rus clapped his hands excitedly.

Vengeance quirked a brow at Edge. "You skipped work for _this_?"

"I TOLD YOU. FUCKING SANS."

Vengeance looked over at Red, who had settled down and was now idly looking over the nearby bookshelf, looking bored. One arm was draped over Lust's back. Lust was half asleep, snuggled into his chest, one hand balled up in his sweater. The black and gold collar was perfectly visible even from across the room.

Then she looked around the room, taking in how Sugar had now joined Blue and Razz in discussing the card game; how Suave and Rus had gone over to check on Geno and Paci; how Tori was teasing Dance, and Gory was... staring at her oddly (she decided to not linger on that); how Stretch had joined Chara and Asriel on the floor, returning to the video games together to pass the time; how Comic had started to take a nap, like there werent several dangerous monsters in the room; how Axe had returned to eating pizza as well as the remaining cookies, giving her a much more familiar expression (one of caution and open disdain, she could work with that). This environment was so... different than anything back home. She couldn't even remember the word for it, but it was... nostalgic, perhaps? There was a kind of tightness in her throat and behind her eyes, like she had caught a glimpse of something she had been missing.

"STRANGE, ISN'T IT," Edge said softly. "A ROOM FULL OF MONSTERS, BUT NOT ONE SPECK OF KILLING INTENT."

Vengeance let out a breath. Yes. That was what it was. It was a feeling of safety, and community, all at once. "At least we know its possible..."

"YES." Edge looked over at his brother, who had discreetly used BLUE magic to pull a book off of the shelf, and was now flipping through it. "AND MAYBE WITH THIS PROOF SHOVED IN HIS FUCKING FACE, HE WILL SEE IT TOO."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ think about this: edge just grabbed and brought down Comic, Dance, Suave, Axe, Sugar, Pink, Mettaton, Blue, Slim, Razz, Tori, Gory, Chara, Asriel, Geno, and Frisk, at the same time.  
> Thats everyone in that house except After (who is still in the kitchen), and red and lust (who are in the furthest corner from the back door, the furthest from edge when he cast the magic, so edge ran out of his limit before he could get them too)  
> rus, stretch, paci, undyne, and alphys are outside with edge when it happens so they dont get hit  
> and flowey is soulless so he cant get caught in it anyway (i HC that using BLUE magic on objects is different and requires a different skill set)
> 
> ~ add in vengeance and there are TWENTY MOTHER FUCKING SEVEN (27) PEOPLE AT THIS GODDAMN PARTY  
> WHAT THE HELL  
> HOW?! WHY?!
> 
> ~ geno and paci are really very much regretting all the things right now
> 
> ~ dance is so embarrassed he cant believe what a scene the fell bros seem to make without even trying. they cant take them anywhere.
> 
> ~ finally some more stretch/chara interaction!! wait- no!! no come back i need more!!! noooooooooo!!!! TT-TT
> 
> ~ hmmmmm a skeleton pretending like nothing happened? why is that so familiar... oh its because red does it all the fucking time. god those edgy dorks are more alike than they care to admit its almost like they're brothers pfft
> 
> ~ Sugar, sweetie, we aren't really suppose to be so blunt about that kind of thing. pffft sweet honest bean
> 
> ~ damn, edge you fucked up a lot of shit.
> 
> ~ Axe actually kinda did feel back about breaking that wall before. but now he knows its undyne's wall. he gives no shits now.
> 
> ~ Vengeance gets to Aftertale and the first thing she sees is Pink. Think about that, how that encounter went. I sure as hell will be B)  
> [AND ITS WRITTEN (kinda)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291439/chapters/34494176)
> 
> ~ god damn it why does the focus keep getting pulled by underfell i wanna see more about the others!!!! i want more chara/stretch and more tori/dance and more papyton gdi


	53. Afterparty (Pt 10) Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ain't no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!_
> 
> Everyone officially introduces themselves. Also the universes are all officially revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jfc writing for so many goddamn people at once is HARD why is this HARD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> FUCK YOU, YOU HUGE ASS GUEST LIST, I AM **W I N N I N G**
> 
> (i think)

It didn't take more than five minutes for After to make certain everyone had snacks and refreshments. Paci tried to catch his attention, wanting to maybe cut the party short, but After-rus seemed to always somehow avoid being alone with him.

After Suave and Rus had made certain Geno was okay, and Rus had again apologized for the inconvenience and Edge's temper, they both went back over to pester the scarred skeleton about Flowey again. Vengeance, knowing nothing of Flowey, was loud in her desire to know what Edge was hiding. Edge ignored them, deciding now would be a good time to start cleaning himself off.

After-rus offered him a towel and told him where the bathroom was, which Edge took without a word and stomped off.

Vengeance went to follow after him, but Undyne suddenly asked he where she got all her scars. Drawn by the topic, Vengeance enthusiastically began showing off every one, naming who had given it to her and how. A good number of them were from 'the captain,' including a rather deep bite mark partially hidden by the strap of her tanktop.

Geno looked back at the stack of board games, only to remember that the CAH box had been snatched from him. He found Razz had opened it and was reading the instructions, while Blue and Sugar perused the actual cards. Eventually, Rus and Suave joined as well, their curiosity getting the better of them after Edge made himself unavailable. The four of them would see one, laugh, show it to the others, get a laugh out of them, then they would all shoot careful looks at their respective brothers (as though checking to see if they were caught), and then continue. Slim had picked one up and was snickering over it.

Geno had a feeling he was going to get in serious trouble.

Asriel, Chara, and Stretch enjoyed the video games from their spot on the floor. Stretch still felt nervous putting his back to Axe (who was watching from his official couch potato spot), but he was (a bit too easily) distracted from it by Chara leaning into his side. Asriel leaned into Chara's other side, sandwiching the human between the two of them and keeping them snugly in place.

Asgore watched the two Undynes talking from across the room, pretending he didn't notice those mistrustful glances Vengeance kept shooting him.

Dance and Tori, both stressed by the latest events, sat quietly together. Dance let his eyesockets drift shut, slumping into the goat monster as his SOUL decided it needed to reboot. Tori was certain there was smoke coming out of her ears, but she couldn't bring herself to move (either herself or him).

Slim took a picture from across the room.

Red, bored out of his mind (a party with no booze? blasphemy), had snatched a book off the nearby bookshelf and was flipping through it. He let the tips of his distal phalanges appreciate the soft, firm fibers of the pristine paper, unsoiled by stains or water damage or creases or burns. He hadn't read much of 'Shakespeare', but then again, not that many books fell down underground, and the ones that did were often ruined beyond repair. He made certain he could still hear Edge wherever he went in the house, and that nobody was looking, then let himself indulge.

* * *

It wasn't an hour before Mettaton, Pink, and Alphys returned. Mettaton's posture and stride were as good as new, though his smile was likely due more to holding Pink's hand. Undyne scooped the lizard up and hugged her. "Theres my nerd!"

"U-Undyne!!" Alphys squealed, blushing faintly.

Vengeance made a face, scooting away from the couple. Edge who had returned some time before, scowled at the display of affection, but said nothing.

After clapped his hands eagerly. "SPLENDID!!! NOW WE CAN ALL INTRODUCE OURSELVES PROPERLY TO EACH OTHER!!"

Geno pulled three beanbags together so he, Paci, and After could sit together. Frisk dragged three more for themself, Undyne, and Alphys.

Rus and Suave went to sit next to their brothers in the beanbags. Pink found the beanbag closest to where Lust was sprawled over Red. Mettaton sat in his lap, leaning back as Pink kneaded at his shoulders absently. Sugar took the spot on the couch by Axe, quivering excitedly. Blue darted over to sit next to Stretch on the floor, waving at Chara and Asriel as he sat down.

Lust looked between Edge and Red. Red didn't even bother looking up from his book, and Edge didn't move from his spot near the doorway, back to the wall, with Vengeance.

Razz snapped his fingers, making a hand gesture which Slim interpreted as some kind of command. Slim picked his brother up and set him on his shoulder, then sat down himself in the beanbag by Rus. Pink, Mettaton, Dance, Suave, Asriel, Tori, Gory, Geno, Paci, Undyne, and Alphys all blatantly stared at the display with a confusing array of emotions (and judgement). Sugar's eyeslights sparkled delightedly, and he looked at his brother excitedly. Axe leered back at him. "Hell no, we ain't doing that."

"BUT DOESN'T IT LOOK FUN?"

"You are not wearing me like a parrot."

"BUT YOU SQUAWK LIKE ONE! ITS PERFECT!"

Edge and Red both snorted at the same time, Edge fighting it down to nothing. Undyne and Vengeance didn't bother hiding their own guffaws. Red, meanwhile, hissed out near-silent laughter, looking at Razz over the edge of the book he was still reading. Lust giggled into his shoulder.

Blue choked, hiding it with a polite cough into the back of his right glove, pointedly averting his eyes from Razz to get his composure back. The display suddenly seemed less awful and more... cute, to Stretch (and everyone else in the room).

Slim had a hard time keeping his shoulder gyroscopically stable for his brother as he snickered. Razz flicked the top of his head without looking at him, face stoic. "SILENCE." Slim clamped his teeth closed, despite wanting to say something, a big goofy grin on his face.

After waited until everyone was situated (and no longer laughing) before speaking again. "THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING!! I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU ALL MOSTLY DOING OKAY!! AND NOW DOING BETTER!! ALSO IT IS GREAT TO MEET YOU!! I AM PAPYRUS!! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME AFTER!!"

"More like _After-rus_ ," Red muttered, making Lust snicker more.

"IT IS GREAT TO MEET YOU, AFTER!!" Suave said. "AND THANK YOU FOR INVITING US ALL TO YOUR UNIVERSE!!"

"YOU ARE MOST WELCOME!! IT IS CALLED- UH-" After-rus looked at Chara. "HUMAN, WHAT WAS OUR UNIVERSE'S NAME AGAIN??"

Chara's eyes flickered red. "Aftertale," they replied.

"AH YES, THAT IS RIGHT!! AFTERTALE!!" After-rus threw his arms out. "WELCOME TO AFTERTALE, EVERYONE!!"

Rus, Blue, Suave, Pink, Mettaton, Lust, Gory, Sugar, and Asriel all clapped. Slim gave a thumbs up. Suave elbowed Dance gently when he noted his brother wasn't also applauding, and Dance grudgingly clapped as well, slow and lazy.

"W-wait, the universes h-have name?!?!" Alphys looked at Chara, eyes wide and shining. "D-do you know the names of th-the other ones??"

Chara shrugged. "Not off the top of my head. But I can look them up with a CHECK."

"Thats pretty awesome, punk!" Undyne praised, making the human Blush.

"OOH!!! Gory wrung his hands excitedly. "WHEN WE INTRODUCE OURSELVES, WILL YOU TELL US WHAT OUT UNIVERSE NAME IS?? IT'LL BE LIKE WE ARE FROM DIFFERENT TEAMS!!! COMING TOGETHER!!! FOR FRIENDSHIP!!"

"Oh. my. god." Vengeance breathed, disbelief all over her face as what she witnessed conflicted with everything she had ever known to be an immutable truth.

"THATS A GREAT IDEA!!!" Sugar exclaimed, louder than necessary.

Axe flinched beside. "Damn, bro, _indoor_ voice." He hissed, rubbing his acoustic meatus.

"WHAT??"

Axe sighed, letting the matter drop. Sugar grinned victoriously.

"WOULD YOU MIND, HUMAN??" Rus asked.

"Not at all, thats fine with me. So, uh, obviously, this is Aftertale, and they are all from here... so..."

After patted Paci's head. "THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS!! BUT HIS NEW NICKNAME IS PACI. I THINK IT IS SOME KIND OF INSIDE JOKE BUT I DON'T GET IT."

Paci and Geno snickered.

"AND THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS TOO!! BUT HIS NICKNAME IS GENO!!" After put his other hand on Geno's shoulder.

"HAVING TWO BROTHERS ALL THE TIME MUST BE EXHAUSTING!!" Pink commented. "I CAN BARELY KEEP UP WITH ONE!!"

"AND NOW WE HAVE SO MANY MORE!!" Suave agreed.

"WE CAN HANDLE THEM AS A TEAM!!" Rus affirmed.

"MAYBE IF YOU TRAINED THEM TO BEHAVE THEY WOULDN'T CAUSE YOU SO MUCH GRIEF," Razz commented idly.

"I THINK POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT AND GUIDANCE WOULD BE A BETTER WAY TO SAY IT," Blue said.

"I SAY WHAT I MEAN," Razz returned, calmly and confidently.

"Why don't you introduce yourself next, pal?" Geno asked, a bit icily. After shot him a brief look, clearly wishing his brother would be a bit more polite, but understanding it was harder for him.

"GLADLY." Razz sat up a little straighter. "I AM THE MALEVOLENT SANS, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF ALL MONSTERS. NO AUTOGRAPHS. AND THIS," he gestured dismissively at Slim. "IS MY BROTHER, AND NEW SECRETARY, PAPYRUS." The undertone clearly said, _'just ignore him, I'm the important one here.'_

Slim chuckled knowingly at his dismissive introduction, waving. "Yo. Call me Slim. And mlord is Razz."

Edge quirked a brow at Razz's titles, but said nothing. Geno, Paci, Comic, Lust, Mettaton, Dance, Stretch, and Axe all narrowed their eyes at Razz's dismissal of his brother. Tori looked a bit uncomfortable. Pink, Rus, Suave, Gory, and Asriel looked starstruck. Blue looked torn between starstruck and appalled, but relaxed after seeing that Slim took no offense. Chara looked amused.

After gasped. "YOU ARE A CAPTAIN AND AN AMBASSADOR TOO!!! WOWWIE!! WE CAN SHARE TIPS!!"

Razz smirked. "OF COURSE YOU WOULD ASK MY SUPERIOR SELF FOR GUIDANCE. HOW LUCKY FOR YOU THAT I AM MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM MALEVOLENT TO MAGNANIMOUS."

"So, uh, where are they from, kiddo?" Comic asked, curious.

Chara checked Slim. "...'Swapfell'."

"WELCOME, SWAPFELL BROTHERS!!" After cheered. Razz soaked in the attention, preening.

Blue jumped up. "CAN WE GO NEXT??" he asked excitedly.

Edge shot Red the dirtiest look, silently thinking, _'Why the hell did you bring me here? This is stupid and I am embarrassed by proxy. I could be at work right now, but no, you just had to pull your ridiculous fucking bullshit.'_ Red, ignoring the feeling of his brother's eyelights boring into him like two red-hot iron brands, flipped the page of his pilfered book, enjoying this first real moment of stress-free relaxation he's ever truly had, knowing both he and his brother were safe. Even if they were being subjected to sickeningly optimistic personalities right now, at least nobody was trying to kill them, and nobody in the room was a credible threat.

It helped that Red was currently being battered by the echoes of Lust's contentment, snuggled into his side with his own brother in arms reach.

After getting approval from After-rus, Rus, and Suave, Blue cleared his throat. "HI EVERYONE!! I'M SANS, BUT I GUESS YOU CAN CALL ME BLUE!! AND THIS IS MY BROTHER PAPPY!!"

Vengeance side eyed Edge. "DON'T EVEN FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT," He warned her under his breath.

Stretch waved. "Stretch. Hi."

"They're from Underswap," Chara provided helpfully.

"Eyyy, Swap-types club!" Slim snickered.

"Very exclusive," Stretch agreed.

"WELCOME, UNDERSWAP BROTHERS!!" After cheered again.

Alphys wished she had brought a notebook. She was already seeing patterns in behavior and attributes which seemed to correspond with the naming conventions of the universes. Mettaton, was seeing those same correlations, and making notes internally (being a robot) to review later. Comic chose to just memorize them as best he could to tell his Alphys later.

Suave stood up next. "HELLO!!! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME SUAVE!! AND THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS!!" Dance didn't say anything, just shrugged and waved. Suave nudged him. "BROTHER AT LEAST SAY HELLO."

Dance chuckled. "Hi. They're calling me Dance."

"And they are from Dancetale," Chara affirmed.

After clapped. "WELCOME, DANCETALE BROTHERS!!!"

Vengeance leaned closer to Edge. "Do we gotta sit through this crap. If we're stuck here for a while, why not go actually explore? Or.. at least do something fun?"

"YOU ARE THE ONE WHO BITCHED ABOUT COMING," Edge hissed. "AND OUR RIDE BACK IS IN THIS ROOM. WE WILL STAND VIGILANT UNTIL OUR RETURN HOME. THIS IS NOT A VACATION, IT IS AN INCONVENIENCE."

"It could BE a vacation, if you weren't such an uptight-" Vengeance raised her voice a few clicks too far above a whisper.

"DID YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES NEXT??" Rus asked from across the room.

Vengeance froze. Edge glared. "NO."

Rus shrugged. "WE CAN GO NEXT THEN!!" He stood up. "HELLO AGAIN EVERYONE!! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! BUT YOU CAN CALL ME RUS!! BECAUSE!! IT IS SHORT FOR PAPYRUS!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

Comic waved. "I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. I go by Comic nowadays."

"And they are from Undertale," Chara informed them.

"WELCOME, UNDERTALE BROTHERS!!!" After-rus couldn't help but cheer.

Sugar finally couldn't contain himself. "HELLO EVERYONE!!! MY NAME IS PAPYRUS TOO!!! BUT I THINK MY NICKNAME IS SUGAR!!! AND IT IS SO VERY!! VERY!!! WONDERFUL!!! TO BE HERE!!! AND BE INVITED!!! AND MEET YOU ALL!!!" he shouted joyfully as he threw his hands up in the air. His sudden volume had Axe jump, and subsequently fall off the couch. Sugar looked down at him. "SANS!! THIS IS NO TIME FOR A NAP!! GREET OUR NICE HOSTS AND TELL THEM HOW NICE IT IS TO BE INCLUDED!!!"

Axe groaned. " _Indoor voice_ , god damn it..!" He hissed into the carpet, before finally picking himself up. "They know who we are. Though, I guess... yeah, its nice to be here... and not there..."

Sugar nodded enthusiastically. "THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS!! AND WE ARE APPARENTLY CALLING HIM AXE NOW BECAUSE THATS WHAT HE USED TO GREET THE BIG HUMAN SINCE HE BROKE HIS CLEAVER A FEW WEEKS AGO AND HAS BEEN TOO LAZY TO FIX IT."

Most of the room fell into an awkward silence at that. Red and Chara snickered.

"Yeah. Thanks for that bro. Real informative," Axe deadpanned, getting back on the couch and rubbing his head.

"YOU ARE MOST WELCOME!!"

Chara coughed to clear their throat. "They are from Horrortale."

"Aptly named," Stretch muttered.

"AND WE ARE VERY GLAD TO HAVE YOU, HORRORTALE BROTHERS!!" After assured them. He meant it.

Pink hooked his chin over Mettaton's shoulder. "SHOULD WE GO NEXT??"

"WHY NOT??" Suave replied.

Pink grinned. "HELLO!! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INVITING US!! I'M PAPYRUS, BUT I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN CALLING ME PINK! AND!! THIS IS METTATON!!"

Mettaton waved shyly, looking at his lap. Pink gave him a chaste peck on the cheek, making him blush and fluster. "Pappy! Really?!"

"What? Do you think a more proactive demonstration is in order~?" Pink purred into the side of his head.

Mettaton flushed harder still, smacking Pink gently on the arm. "Just say hello like a normal person, if you please!!" Pink laughed.

"Woah..." Undyne breathed.

Alphys squealed as quietly as possible. "I know, right?! Its so cute!!" She whispered, clearly wanting to gush but also not wanting to detract from the moment.

Dance looked away, trying to politely ignore the display, feeling a bit sorry for Mettaton. Tori blushed. Blue looked at Stretch and grinned, to which Stretch shoved him playfully. Razz watched with rapt attention, clearly liking what he was seeing. Slim wasn't much better. Rus, After-rus, Suave, and Sugar just smiled. Paci and Geno exchanged looks.

Vengeance looked back at her captain, who still maintained his stoic scowl, unimpressed.

Red continued to ignore it all by reading, although there was a faint dusting of pink on his maxilla.

Lust turned and gave his brother a thumbs up, which turned into a fist bump.

"THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS!!" Pink continued, smiling.

Lust waved, grinning slyly. "Lovely to meet you all, officially~ You can call me Lust." His finger hooked into the loop of his collar and tugged gently. Razz, Slim, Edge, and Vengeance locked onto the motion, and they all noticed the way Red's body seemed to twitch ever so slightly in response to it. Slim and Razz seemed amused. Edge looked annoyed. Vengeance looked like she had just seen the impossible made possible, left speechless and uncertain.

Chara piped up again. "They are from Underlust."

"And isn't that just the most appropriate name," Mettaton sighed. Pink snickered, hugging his boyfriend around the middle and nuzzling, trying to comfort him. It worked.

"IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU, UNDERLUST BROTHERS AND METTATON!!" After declared, still grinning warmly.

Suave turned to Tori and Gory. "WHY DON'T YOU GO NEXT??"

Gory, who had been starting to feel uncertain, puffed up his chest and stood to his feet. "HOWDY! I AM THE AMAZING ASGORE!! ASGORE DREEMURR!! AND THIS IS MY LITTLE SISTER, TORIEL. AND WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO THIS CELEBRATION WITH YOU!"

Asriel and Chara exchanged looks of shock. Sugar and Axe exchanged looks of confusion. After, Geno, Paci, Suave, Pink, Mettaton, and Razz all looked at Gory with clear surprise.

Edge and Vengeance tensed, their magic crackling in their hands as they naturally braced for something to happen.

Then Undyne broke the silence. "HECK YEAH!! TINY ASGORE!!"

Gory crossed his arms. "WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP CALLING US TINY?? WE ARE AVERAGE AT THE SMALLEST."

"Not, uh, compared to the Asgore and Toriel we are familiar with," Dance admitted quietly.

"Really?" Tori asked, interested.

"YES!!" Dance affirmed. "WELL, I CANNOT SAY I KNOW ANOTHER TORIEL, BUT I DO KNOW ASGORE!! HE IS EVEN GREATER IN STATURE THAN MYSELF!!"

"MISS TORIEL AND THE KING ARE TALL INDEED!! ALTHOUGH I SUPPOSE IT IS A LITTLE RUDE TO COMPARE YOU TO THEM, SINCE YOU ARE VERY DIFFERENT PEOPLE." After-rus thought out loud.

"Oh, crap! Was that rude??" Undyne looked back at Gory. "Didn't mean to be rude, just, its really cool to see!! Like wow, Asgore can be small!! Small-er!!" She smiled nervously. "I'll just shut up now."

There were a few quiet "HEH"s from around the room. Gory grinned back at the fish monster, understanding a little better.

Chara finally CHECKed them. "And... they are from Altertale."

After-rus threw his arms up. "AND WELCOME TO YOU TOO!! ALTERTALE SIBLINGS!!"

Asriel bounced up to his feet. "I guess that means its our turn now?? HOWDEY!! I'm Asriel Dreemurr!! And this is Chara!! They are my sibling and my best friend!!"

Frisk, who had been silent for most of this, wrung their hands, grinning from ear to ear.

A muffled, choked up noise came from somewhere in Edge's general direction. Edge shifted his stance and made as if he were fixing his scarf, casually smoothing out the material around his one shoulder.

Toriel stiffened at the name, doing a double take. Her eyes went wide. For a moment, she couldn't breath. Dance squeezed her hand tighter, grounding her.

Chara waved. "Yeah. Hi. Chara here. And we're from Storyshift."

"How come our universe has such a different name?" Rei asked, sitting back down.

"Probably because you were so awesome you broke the naming convention, bro," Chara said without missing a beat. "Gods tend to do that."

Rei shoved their sibling. "Don't say that with a straight face, you weirdo!" But he was grinning.

Stretch watched the exchange with a dopy grin.

"Guess thats everyone," Comic mused. "Well, everyone except..." He looked over at Red.

Red just flipped the page of the book he was reading, still ignoring everything and everyone to the best of his ability.

Rus and Stretch looked at Edge expectantly.

"WHAT??" Edge snapped. His scowl grew as he stared them back. "THIS IS FUCKING RIDICULOUS. FINE. I WILL INTRODUCE MYSELF." He stepped forward three strides, making his scarf billow. Now that he wasn't covered in dirt and dust, he looked far more regal, and intimidating. "I AM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS! CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! MY SECOND IN COMMAND, UNDYNE, STANDS AT MY BACK. AND THAT," He gestured at Red. "THAT IS THE MOST USELESS, BELLIGERENT, ASININE FUCKING SENTRY I HAVE THE DISPLEASURE OF COMMANDING. SANS."

Red flipped him off over his book. "Be pissy all ya want, boss, ain't gonna change I still fuckin' won."

"They are also brothers," Stretch said with a sigh, gesturing to each in turn. "Edge, and Red. We've taken to calling their Undyne 'Vengeance'."

"And they are from Underfell," Chara finished.

Slim grinned. "Hey, Red. Fell-types club."

Red begrudgingly looked up from his book. "Prefer smoke buddies, but whatever," he said, the ghost of a smirk playing at his teeth.

" _NOW_ THAT IS EVERYONE!!" Rus declared, posing for the victory.

"WELCOME TO YOU TOO!! UNDERFELL BROTHERS AND VENGEANCE!!" After-rus said. And he meant it.

"Yeah," Paci said with a smirk. "Welcome to the _after_ party, guys." Geno wheezed, holding his hand up for a high five. Paci didn't leave him hanging, then broke into his own giggling fit.

"OH MY GOD, SANS!!" After-rus bemoaned.

"I've been waiting _all day_ to say that," Paci admitted between cackles.

The room filled with the laughter and groans of monsters (and humans!) who had come together despite both probabilities and differences, marking the beginning of a new chapter in each of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ for anyone who cares, red picked up the complete works of shakespeare and started reading Romeo and Juliet.
> 
> ~ all the AUs gathering into their groups except the fells nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn (well i guess thats probably a good thing since flowey is still hiding in edge's armor and the golden flower smell is one of red's triggers)
> 
> ~ Slim really wanted to say, "M'Lord is the most handsome of parrots."
> 
> ~ YEEEEEEEEEEEH You have Ambassador Papyrus and now we have Ambassador Sans!!! Why?? Because SF!Chara is too young to be an ambassador (much like Aftertale!Frisk) right now so Razz is filling in in the meantime! Studying human law! Gonna scare the lying pants off some politicians!! and fight them with their own weapons!! words and complicated lawyer jargon!!  
> And no, thats not Razz being an ass to his brother, thats razz and slim being sneaky little trolls because slim isn't just his secretary, he's his spy and informant and bodyguard too. everybody ignores the secretary. and if people think razz treats slim like shit they might try to use slim to get to razz and then BOOM triple agent slim has the bad guys by the nads. (or thats the plan anyway they only had the jobs for like 4 hours and have a rudimentary understanding of human politics so its the best they got rn)
> 
> ~ I wanted to do an AA joke in here where someone goes, "hey i'm ____ and i'm a sans" and everyone choruses "hi sans!" but i realized that was a distinctly human reference and only geno and paci would get it and find it funny.  
> so there. that scene is in your head now. sansi sitting in a circle of folding metal chairs discussing angst through bad jokes. SA. Sans Anonymous.
> 
> ...honestly now that i think about it, i think PA (papyrus anonymous) would probably be needed more.  
> "HELLO. I'M EDGE AND I AM A PAPYRUS."  
> "HI PAPYRUS!"  
> "MY BROTHER IS A FUCKWAD OF THE HIGHEST FUCKING CALIBER."  
> "WE UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN!!"  
> and now THAT scene is in your head now.
> 
> ~ pffft Vengeance is getting bored so easy
> 
> ~ After-rus just going around pointing, "And YOU are family now! And YOU are family now! Everybody here is family now!!"
> 
> ~ Flowey trying not to cry like the crybaby he is, hearing what used to be his voice say that stuff, and edge low key pets him. edge doesn't know wtf is wrong. edge doesn't get why flowey is upset. edge is probably pissed flowey made any noise at all. but what does he do? he tries.
> 
> ~ dance probably dont know whats up either but he tries too
> 
> ~ edge at it again with the dramatics.
> 
> ~ i could probably end the story right here.... but also...


	54. Afterparty (Pt 11) Playtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Aint no Party like an Afterparty 'cuz an Afterparty don't stop!_
> 
> The party actually kinda starts. There are cards involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> having so many characters to write for at once is hard. super hard. they all scream at me and wanna be heard at the same time and i'm just super goddamn thankful After-rus is there to keep everyone organized and shit cuz holy shit i cant do it

In minutes, it started feeling like an actual party.

Razz resumed his examination of the Cards Against Humanity rules. Blue and Sugar joined him in looking through them.

Geno tried to deflect. "Uh, thats not as fun as some of the other games. Just a gift. From a friend. A gag gift. Not really functional. Not a party game at all."

"Ya realize," Slim drawled, patting Geno's shoulder lightly from behind, making Geno jump, "that all yer doing is making them wanna play it more, right?"

"PLAY WHAT??" After asked.

"Nothing!!" Paci said hastily, seeing what was going on. "I mean, not yet, anyway, heh. What game would you recommend, bro?" Sweat glistened on his skull, a gentle sheen of nervous moisture.

"WELL, IF I HAD TO SAY AT RANDOM, I WOULD PICK THAT CONTROVERSIAL BUT LARGELY SARCASTIC CARD GAME UNDYNE GIFTED TO ME," After-rus answered after thinking. "IT CAN HAVE MANY PLAYERS AT ONCE AND IS SUITABLE TO AT LEAST HALF OF OUR GUEST'S SENSE OF HUMOR."

"What?" Geno and Paci asked at the same time.

After-rus gestured at the CAH box. "THAT ONE!! HAVE YOU PLAYED IT BEFORE?? UNDYNE PLAYED IT WITH A CO-WORKER AND THEN BROUGHT IT HOME!!"

Geno and Paci exchanged looks. This explained how the game got into the sunroom, at least (it wasn't their copy, it was After's). Then they both looked at Undyne. The fish snickered, unapologetic.

"Bro, I don't think this game is appropriate for-" Paci started.

"IF IT HAS UNDYNE'S APPROVAL THEN IT MUST BE VERY FUN!!" Rus interrupted, coming over. "WILL YOU TEACH US HOW TO PLAY, DISTINGUISHED ME??"

After-rus blinked at Rus, then grinned. "I WOULD BE HONORED, GREAT ME!!" He then went on to explain that it was a word-replacement game, and the goal was to be the most entertaining. Suave wandered over to listen as well, his curiosity piqued by the word 'entertaining'. 

Slim hummed thoughtfully. "Seems like a game better played with a bottle. Got any spirits, After?"

"I BELIEVE A GHOST LIVES A FEW DOORS DOWN, BUT HE IS NOT HOME RIGHT NOW."

"I meant alcohol. Beer? Whisky?"

"WE DO NOT," After answered brightly.

"But I sure do!!" Undyne shouted. "Stay right there, I got this!" And she ran off, laughing with excitement.

"Oh thank fuck, theres going to be booze," Vengeance sighed.

Edge leered at her. "IS THIS REALLY THE TIME TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN??"

"We're either dreaming, or we're surrounded by FreExp who we could both dust one-handed, or we're screwed anyway. And either way," she clasped him on the back, hard, making him rock forward before he caught his balance. "We're off duty. Lighten up, Papyrus. You need this. _We_ need this." She looked over at Red. "Little asshole did good, for once." Her voice made it clear that that was difficult for her to admit.

"IT MAY STILL BE A TRAP."

"Your brother _is_ an irresponsible lush who would sell out his best friend for a gram of temmie flakes, but- uh, where was I going with this?"

"I BELIEVE YOU WERE FAILING MISERABLY TO REASSURE ME THAT THIS WAS SAFE TERRITORY."

Vengeance rubbed her face, sighing.

Dance, his friendly smile tense from his irritability, decided he really, really needed a pick-me-up, and the promised spirits Undyne was fetching sounded perfect.

Tori sagged back into the beanbag she was in, rubbing her eyes tiredly, already overloaded. This was already more than her fragile nerves could take. Gory, sensing this, got up to find a solution.

"AFTER?? WOULD THERE HAPPEN TO BE A QUIET ROOM IN THE HOUSE WE COULD USE?? MY SISTER IS A BIT NERVOUS AND MIGHT BENEFIT FROM A CALMER ENVIRONMENT."

After-rus turned away from the others, considered. "WE DO NOT HAVE A DESIGNATED QUIET ROOM, BUT YOU MAY USE THE LIVINGROOM!! NOBODY ELSE WILL BE IN THERE!! WILL THAT DO??"

Gory looked over at his sister, then nodded. "I THINK SO!! YOU ARE VERY GENEROUS!!"

After-rus smiled. "IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE I CAN DO AS WELL?? TEA?? SOMETHING SHE WOULD FIND COMFORT FROM??"

Gory considered. "IF YOU HAVE ANY WHIP CREAM?? SHE HAS A... THING... FOR IT. IT IS NOT VERY HEALTHY, BUT IT MAKES HER FEEL BETTER."

After-rus nodded. "I UNDERSTAND!! I BELIEVE I HAVE A CAN OF THE SPRAY KIND. WILL THAT WORK?"

"PERFECT!!"

After-rus went to fetch the whip cream, and Gory returned to Tori. "SIS?? AFTER IS GETTING YOU SOME WHIP CREAM. AND MAYBE IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO GO INTO THE OTHER ROOM?? TO WIND DOWN?? WOULD THAT HELP??"

Tori blushed, looking away. "You didn't have to go to all that trouble..."

"YOU ARE NEVER ANY TROUBLE!! EXCEPT WHEN YOU ARE ON PURPOSE, BECAUSE SISTERS APPARENTLY DO THAT."

Tori chuckled, getting up.

Dance got to his own feet. "Do ya want to be alone? Or, did you want company..?" He shuffled his weight, looking at his feet (and not at the goat monster).

Tori looked at Gory. Gory gave her a thumbs up and an encouraging grin, making her blush harder. "I-I- that is- company would be... nice?"

"Uh. Cool. So..." Dance scratched at the back of his skull.

"Yeah..." Tori smoothed out the fur on the side if her maw.

"Ok."

"Okay."

Dance darted over to let Suave know where he was going. Suave nodded in understanding (and amusement, gritting his teeth to keep from teasing his obviously enamored brother). After-rus returned with the whip cream, and then Dance and Tori escaped to the livingroom.

Red felt his phone buzz, indicating he got a text message. He growled irritably, annoyed to be pulled away from his book, but none the less pulled it out to check. It was from Dance:

[text me when the drinks get here]

Red raised a bone brow, wondering why Dance would text him of all people about that, before replying with a curt [k] and returning to his book.

Lust double checked that his brother was alright and having fun (which he was: Pink had been drawn to the cards as well and was giggling at a few with Mettaton) before snuggling back into Red's side, closing his sockets and purring happily. He listened to the talk about the game, deciding that, as interesting as it was, he didn't think it was interesting enough to leave Red's lap for. He hoped maybe they could play from where they were.

Gory then curiously crept over to look at the cards himself. He did a spit take at the first he drew from the box, before devolving into bleating giggles.

Stretch returned to playing video games with Chara and Asriel. It was easy, and he didn't have to move or think very much. Not that he probably could, since Chara was pressed rather close and the feel of their solid form in his side was distracting. Stretch figured they would be drawn into the game eventually as well, but for now he would stay out of the way.

Comic had wandered over to the bookshelf and was perusing the collection, also deciding to stay out from underfoot. He didn't really care what they did, he was just here to help set the Aftertale brothers' minds at ease, and thank them.

Frisk crawled up onto the couch next to Axe, who gave them a less than friendly look. Frisk just smiled, offering their hand. Axe grinned, reaching over to shake it.

Chara caught the motion from the corner of their eye, but they didn't say anything. Stretch saw them look, and looked over himself. He squeaked out a "Wait, stop-!" as he scrambled to his feet, grasping at Axe's wrist.

Axe raised a bone brow, grinning smugly. "Whats the matter, buddy? Need a hand with something?"

Stretch turned Axe's hand over, palm up, revealing the device he had hidden there. The rusty blades gleamed dully in the light. Stretch looked at Axe. Axe started sweating. "Oops. How did that get there? Silly me, must have forgotten. Haven't really been all there lately." He tugged at his eyesocket with his other hand, still grinning.

Frisk looked between them, then at the blades that had almost sliced their hand open. They gulped. That was a different kind of pain they don't think they wanted to experience.

Blue watched the exchange from the other side of the room, eyelights smaller, more focused.

Stretch let go of Axe's wrist. "Be more careful," was all he said, although a part of him had so much more to say on the matter.

Axe just casually started playing with the spinner, slipping his finger under and around the blades to trigger the presser plate, making them spin. "Will do," he hummed, watching the human from the corner of his eye socket. Frisk was focused on the spinning blades, rubbing their palm absently with the thumb of their other hand. Axe chuckled, then unhooked the device and stuffed it back in his pocket.

Undyne came back, arms filled with boxes of cheep pale lagers, cackling. "Now we can REALLY party!"

Edge darted his hand out, snatching a box and examining it. He handed the box to Vengeance, who just looked disappointed, and fished out one of the bottles. He popped the top off with one claw and drained it in seconds.

Undyne cackled. "Wow! You can put them back, huh, edgelord?"

Edge rolled his eyelights. "THIS LOW PROOF WATERED DOWN SWILL IS HARDLY WORTH MENTIONING. IT ALSO TASTES AWFUL."

Undyne shrugged. "Cheep and easy to find. I'm not picky about my beer."

"ONLY YOUR TEA," After-rus teased, waving her off.

"Whats a beer?" Rei asked, looking over.

"Its a poison humans drink for fun," Chara answered.

"WHAT?!" Rei bleated, alarmed.

Chara laughed. Stretch shook his head. "You could have explained it more gently."

"ITS POISON!??!" Rei was still freaking out. Chara devolved into laughter.

"Its not _really_ poison," Stretch tried to sooth. "Not the way you're thinking. But too much of it can cause problems."

"Like, you can die," Chara offered helpfully.

"In _extreme_ cases, yeah..." Stretch admitted.

Rei hugged Chara. "Please tell me you will never, ever, ever poison yourself??? Please???"

Another distressed noise seemed to come from Edge's general direction. Edge again made to smooth out his scarf, taking another beer from the box that Vengeance was still dutifully holding for him and draining it, a bit slower this time.

Frisk bit their lip, clutching at their chest, over their soul.

Chara chuckled. "Don't worry bro, if I wanna kill myself I won't use poison. Thats way too slow. Faster to just stab myself in the brain."

"Do not joke about that!" Rei and Stretch scolded at the same time. Chara just laughed, slinging their arms around both Rei and Stretch's shoulders, hugging them with a broad grin. Stretch flushed faintly, almost pulled off balance.

"If ya plan on killing yourself, lemme do it. Waste not want not," Axe chirped, popping open the bottle he had swiped from Undyne as she passed.

"Deal," Chara agreed. Then they both started laughing harder.

"Do not encourage this," Stretch groaned.

Rei groaned, hiding his face in Chara's shaking shoulder.

Red inconspicuously texted Dance, one handed: [fish bitch brought cheep ass beer]

A few minutes later, Dance and Tori returned from the livingroom. Dance grabbed a bottle for himself, then looked at Tori, asking silently if she wanted any. Tori shook her head, so Dance sat back down, twisting the bottlecap off with fingers far too familiar with the motion.

Undyne used her wicked teeth to open a bottle, spitting the cap into the trashcan in the corner of the room. "SO! Who's gonna play cards against humanity?"

"THE RULES SAY THE GAME IS DESIGNED TO BE MODIFIED," Razz hummed. "LET US MODIFY IT. THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US TO MAKE HAVING US ALL BE PLAYERS FEASIBLE WITH ONLY THIS MANY CARDS. INSTEAD, PERHAPS TWO TO THREE MAN GROUPS ARE IN ORDER."

"And maybe, considering the game..." Slim grinned. "One of the members plays a card, and if the other can't read it in full with a straight face, they gotta take a drink."

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN!!" Blue grinned at Stretch. "SUGAR, YOU CAN BE ON MY TEAM!!"

"GLADLY, LITTLE STARRY BROTHER!!" Sugar agreed.

"Aww, then who's team am I gonna be on, bro?" Stretch asked, sweating nervously.

Blue grinned (almost wickedly, slyly). "WHY NOT THE HUMAN'S?"

Stretch and Chara exchanged looks. They both looked away at the same time. "Uh, only if they don't mind. They might wanna be on a team with their bro..."

"I think I will stick to video games, thanks," Rei admitted, turning back to the screen. Frisk, knowing the card game wasn't really for their age group, joined Rei on the floor to play along with them.

Pink and Mettaton exchanged looks. "WE WILL BE A TEAM!! IF YOU DON'T MIND, BROTHER?"

Lust waved him off. "It wouldn't be fair to pair us up together~ We're both shameless."

"I... don't drink," Mettaton reminded Pink quietly.

"Thats fine, baby. I'm thirsty enough for the both of us~" Pink purred into his neck. Mettaton, used to Pink's sense of humor, only flushed lightly and pushed him playfully, scoffing.

Dance, Comic, Axe, Geno, and Paci all coughed, still not used to hearing what sounded so much like their brother's voice say that kind of thing. Dance and Axe had both been trying to drink their lagers, and the both of them would have been in danger of choking had they needed to breath. Stretch, who had been on the receiving end of Pink's japery before, flushed from embarrassment by proxy, which made Chara snicker. Razz smirked. Slim shot Pink a hand gesture denoting that the performance was quality.

Edge drained his beer and snatched out another. He was halfway through a sixpack and it hadn't been ten minutes. It was going to be a long day, he just knew it.

* * *

The teams formed over the next few minutes: Blue and Sugar; Pink and Mettaton; Razz and Slim; Undyne and Alphys; Suave and Dance; Stretch and Chara; Tori and Gory; Rus and Comic; After and Paci; Lust and Red (who wasn't all that interested in playing, and just kind of grunted noncommittally when asked, without looking up from his book); Axe and Geno (who didn't want to leave him out of the game, despite Axe clearly being more interested in the snacks); Vengeance and Edge (who again didn't want to play, but was going along with it anyway because "IF THIS IS THE ONLY FUCKING WAY TO SHUT YOU UP THEN FINE").

Most of the teams had at least one person who could use BLUE magic to pull the cards over, so they all scattered around the room for comfort. Tori and Gory sat at the table where the cards were set, so they could draw and discard without issue.

As everyone started drawing cards, Geno and Paci started to sweat. Undyne and Alphys giggled, both of them fully aware of what was ultimately going to happen.

"SO, WHO HAS LAST DEFECATED?" Razz asked (with a straight, serious face).

That brought Red out of his book. "Why th' fuck does THAT matter?!" he snarled.

"BECAUSE THE RULES CLEARLY STATE THAT THE ONE WHO DEFECATED THE MOST RECENTLY IS WHO SHOULD GO FIRST AS THE CARD TZAR," Razz gestured to the rule book. "WHEN I ANNIHILATE YOU ALL WITH MY UNPARALLELED PROWESS AND ADAPTABILITY, I WANT NO ARGUMENTS OR EXCUSES ABOUT CHEATING."

"BUT MONSTERS DO NOT DO THAT UNLESS THEY EAT HUMAN FOOD..." Rus thought out loud.

Everyone (except Stretch) turned to Chara. The human raised their hands up defensively. "Hey, its been years for me, ok? I forget thats even a thing sometimes, nowadays."

"IN THAT CASE IT MIGHT BE ME!!" Sugar cheered. "LAST MONTH OUR RATIONS WERE MIXED WITH HUMAN FOOD!! HOW LUCKY!!"

Geno looked at Axe from the corner of his eye. It spoke volumes about their relationship, that Axe hadn't been using his rations for himself.

Blue gave Sugar a high five. Sugar beamed. Blue helpfully pulled over a Black Card for his new friend to read. Sugar cleared his throat, then read, "WHATS MAKING THINGS AWKWARD IN THE SAUNA?"

Comic, who had absolutely no idea what to expect, was handing a White Card by Rus. This was Comic's first look at the cards themselves, having decided to be the designated drinker between the two of them (not that he expected it to be an issue). He took the card lazily, then had to do a spit take. "B-bro. Uh... Do you know what this means??"

"OF COURSE I DO!!" Rus assured him, . "WHY DO YOU ASK??"

Comic snatched over a bottle and cracked it open. "Bro, don't make me read this. I'll take the drink. But..."

Rus just smiled. "THATS ALRIGHT, BROTHER. I WILL READ IT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO!" He went to take the card back.

Comic pulled it closer to his chest. "No! No, geeze, its bad enough you're the one _playing it_ , I don't think I could handle hearing you actually say-"

"SAY WHAT?? 'TENTACLE PORN'??" Rus finished purposefully, with a completely straight face.

The whole room went silent.

"I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT THAT WOULD MAKE A SITUATION VERY AWKWARD IN A SAUNA. ESPECIALLY A PUBLIC ONE."

Slim, Undyne, Vengeance, Pink, Lust, Axe, and Chara all just broke down into hysterical laughter, either from the statement itself, or the person who made it, or both. Dance turned a deep cobalt, looking at Suave like he wanted to grab him and bolt. Suave, however, was chuckling quietly, amused. Gory and Tori exchanged looks, grinning sheepishly at each other. After made a thumbs up at his counterpart. Geno and Paci exchanged looks from across the couch back, sweating harder. Comic took his penalty drink, feeling that now, more than ever, he underestimated his amazing (and sometimes cruel) brother.

"And thats my cue to leave," Rei decided, standing up. "Are there games in the livingroom?" He looked to Frisk for an answer. Frisk nodded, taking his paw in their hand and guiding them out. Rei was trying not to laugh, but only just managed it.

"Sorry, bro!" Chara called after him between wheezes, their face cherry red.

Pink handed Mettaton a White card next. Mettaton cleared his throat. "'Teaching a robot to love.'" He just sat there for a moment, before his cheeks lit up like he was installed with LED backlights, and he shoved Pink hard. "Oh my goodness, Pappy! Do you ever stop?!"

Pink nuzzled back into Mettaton's neck, smirking. "Now where did _your_ mind go? Naughty~ That was perfectly innocent~ But, if you have a fantasy..?"

Lust and Slim were shaking in silent laughter. It took the rest of the room a moment to get it. Pink took the penalty drink for his boyfriend, cooing over Mettaton's adorable pout.

Dance gulped as he took a White Card from his own brother. He took a deep breath, before turning it over to read. "'A s-'" Dance choked. "Bro, seriously?"

"WOULD YOU RATHER I READ IT, SANS??" Suave asked, innocently.

Dance took a drink. "'A salty surprise.'" He then decided a tactical retreat into his hoodie was in order.

Red started wheezing, hiding his face in his book. Axe snickered, grinning wider. Dance shot them both a dirty look, but said nothing. He was already regretting everything as it was.

Stretch was starting to appreciate his brother's mercy. Then Chara handed him a White Card to read, and he wondered if it was a mercy at all. "'Necrophilia.'" He deadpanned, giving Chara a look. Chara just started giggling.

Slim and Red snorted, while Lust just started shaking from laughter, hiding in Red's shoulder. Slim winked at Stretch conspiratorially. Stretch flushed and looked away, which only made Chara giggle more. Blue wiggled his eyebrows at his brother suggestively, but didn't say anything.

Gory looked over the cards carefully, before choosing one and sliding it over to Tori to read. Tori picked it up, then started giggling. "'Your weird brother.'" She stuck her tongue out at her sibling, making Gory grin.

Undyne handed a card to Alphys, who looked at it and turned pink in the face. "I-i am NOT r-reading this out loud!!"

Undyne cackled. "You gotta!!! That or take a drink!! Thems the rules!!"

Alphys squinted at her girlfriend, before sighing and reading out, "'My vagina.'" Her face was so red, she matched Undyne's hair. She took the beer Undyne opened earlier, which the fish had never even touched, and downed a good shot's worth. Undyne smirked, pressing a kiss to the top of the lizard's head.

Vengeance and Edge looked away, mildly disgusted. Edge finished another bottle.

Axe, now somewhat more interested, swiped the White Cards from Geno's hand, and snickered. He passed over one, for Geno to read. Geno took it, before quirking his one brow ridge at his counterpart. Then he shrugged and read out, "'A pyramid of severed heads.'"

Axe and Chara shared a look before breaking down into another giggling fit. Sugar smiled brightly from his spot by Blue, turning his head to one side to wipe a tear away. This was clearly the most fun his brother had had in years and he was a little emotional about it.

After-rus offered Paci a White Card next. Paci took it, then blanched. he looked up at his brother, then back down at the card, then back up at his brother again. After-rus just quirked a brow. Undyne started snickering quietly, knowing pretty well already just where After-rus was willing to go in this game. Paci took a deep breath. "'Pac-man uncontrollably guzz-'" He had to stop, breaking down a little just from trying to read it. He took a quick shot from his own drink. Then looked at After-rus, eyes sparkling. "You're really gonna make me finish reading this, aren't you?"

"UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO DO SO, BROTHER DEAR."

Paci had to try three more times before he could read, "'Pac-man uncontrollably guzzling cum.'" in its entirety. The whole room (minus a few stoic wet mops) was howling.

Lust nudged at Red, getting his attention. He held up a White Card, grinning broadly. "Read this one!"

Red took the card. "'Three Dicks at the Same Time.'" He started snickering, but only after he had finished reading it. "Awkward as hell, I'll give ya that!"

"How does he read that with a straight face?" Dance grouched.

"MAYBE BECAUSE HE REALIZES THAT WE ARE ALL ADULTS HERE AND IT IS MEARLY IN THE SPIRIT OF GOOD FUN," Suave answered.

"Or he's shameless," Dance huffed, crossing his arms.

Slim took the card offered by Razz, and grinned. "'Bees?'" The way he raised his voice in his inflection, making it more a question than a statement, sold it. Half the room laughed.

Vengeance sifted through her hand, before finally deciding on a card, and handing it to Edge. Edge looked it over, his face blank, starting to feel that pleasant buzz in his skull from all the beer he's been chugging. "'AN ERECTION THAT LASTS LONGER THAN FOUR HOURS.' WELL." He looked Vengeance dead in the eye. "YOU WOULD FUCKING KNOW, NOW WOULDN'T YOU."

Vengeance went scarlet. Pink and Lust started dying, both hiding in their significant other's shoulder and wheezing. Red turned his namesake, clicking his teeth irritably. Undyne guffawed, then the cerebral horror of that really sunk in and she changed colors. Razz's eyelights sparked with clear interest, and he looked Edge up and down as if re-evaluating his opinions. Slim grinned wider. Dance and Stretch both hid in their hoodies, not wanting to hear about that. Chara laughed, blushing slightly and side-eyeing Stretch. Axe just looked mildly disgusted with the whole idea, distracting himself with another cookie and gulp of beer.

So ended the first round, which set the tone for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ rei is actually 17-20 ish, so he's old enough to play (barely), he just doesn't feel like it. he might also want to give his sibling an excuse to bond with the tol awkward skeleton they brought home. And... thats not his sense of humor, so he's noping out of there and taking the kiddo with him.
> 
> ~ despite living who knows how long through reset after reset, Aftertale Frisk is still considered a child, and they will patiently wait for their body to catch up with their mind
> 
> ~ you can guess why red got defensive -- he's eaten human food on a dare (while high) but it was a while ago 
> 
> ~ everyone forgets that Papyrus is cruel. violent? absolutely not. but cruel? oh, definitely.
> 
> ~ Pink flirting through a goddamn card. he saw an opportunity and he took it. Mettaton's mind when exactly where he wanted it to go and they both know it.
> 
> ~ the necrophilia thing is funny for multiple reasons; 1 the whole skeleton thing; 2 both chara and stretch have both died so ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> ~ undyne doesn't like cold drinks. that beer isnt for her. its for paps (after) and alphys. she had it for them. because i hc alphys needing to unwind after a rough day of crippling anxiety and the pressures of society, and a night of binging anime in her girlfriends lap with a cold one is one of her favorites
> 
> ~ edge is a sassy fucking bitch and if he has to suffer he is going to do his damnedest to make everyone else suffer
> 
> ~ remember again that canonically undyne (and by extension most of her iterations) is a very lesbian fish.
> 
> ~ red is fine with abstract ideas and sex jokes and innuendos. but he doesn't like talking (or hearing) about his own or his brother's sexcapades
> 
> ~ somewhere in that deck is the "Passive-aggressive post-it notes" card and whoever gets it first is going to play it and win
> 
> ~ who do you think won that round?


	55. Afterparty (Pt 12) Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Aint no Party like an Afterparty cuz an Afterparty dont-_
> 
> oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so. i think this is probably the worst installment yet. but. um. here. have it?

The card game went on for hours. Rus, After-rus, and Suave went out of their way to play the most awful cards they could manage, doing their utmost to utterly and thoroughly destroy the rose-colored glasses their brothers seemed to wear for them. Thanks to that, Dance, Paci, and Comic ended up rather drunk, Dance especially so.

At first, Edge wasn't particularly interested in the game. However, at some point Razz made the comment that, "IT WILL BE NO FUN CRUSHING YOU BENEATH MY HEEL IF YOU DON'T EVEN TRY TO PUT UP A FIGHT." He said it gleefully, smugly, as he took the latest round's winning point.

To which Edge, who was twelve bottles in through no fault of the game, muttered into bottle number thirteen, "EVEN IF I LAYED MYSELF ON THE FUCKING GROUND I DON'T THINK SOMEONE AS STUMPY AS YOU COULD LIFT YOUR LEG HIGH ENOUGH TO STEP ON ME."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Razz demanded. "ENUNCIATE, GUTTER TRASH!!"

"I SAID YOU ARE A SHORT PIECE OF SHIT WHO COULDN'T CRUSH PAPER AND TO GO FUCK YOURSELF!!" Edge snapped, flipping him off.

"SHALL WE SETTLE THIS LIKE HONORABLE GUARDSMEN, THEN?? OUTSIDE??" Razz growled, claws sparking angrily with purple and red light.

"NO FUCKING HONOR IN HUNTING FREEXP," Edge snorted. "OR CHILDREN."

"COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!!"

"I DON'T THINK EVEN I CAN BEND THAT FUCKING LOW."

Razz launched himself across the room, a swath of dark purple magic coalescing in his hand as a chainsaw (much like Slim's). Edge responded by creating a sturdy bone club, thicker than his own femur, and raised it to block the oncoming swing.

The weapons clashed in a shower of bright sparks, red and purple and black. The sound it made, magic on magic, made Chara wince and jump a bit, instinctively clinging to Stretch's arm protectively. The sparks landed on the couch, setting a small fire which Axe calmly put out with a few pats of his hand.

"IF YOU TWO MUST COMPETE, PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BETTER TO DO SO WITHOUT VIOLENCE??" Pink suggested, tentatively.

"YES!! LIKE IN THE GAME!!" BLUE OFFERED.

"OR DANCING!!" Suave offered.

"Or cooking," Axe pointed out, seeing his pizza and cookies were gone. He knew he probably shouldn't eat anymore, but he wasn't going to turn down food when it was so abundant.

After-rus beamed. "OH YES!! COOKING!! OH!! WE COULD HAVE A CONTEST!!!"

Sugar gasped. "A COOKING CONTEST!! I COULD MAKE YOU ALL MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!!"

"Yeah, it killer," Axe chuckled. "Ya can really taste the _blood_ , _sweat_ , and _tears_ he puts into it!"

Chara snorted, doubling over and wheezing. Stretch blanched, remembering the eyeball. Sugar stomped his foot. "SANS!! DON'T GO RUINING THE SURPRISE!!" Chara only laughed harder.

Paci and Geno shared looks.

"MAYBE THAT KIND OF SPAGHETTI IS TOO SPECIAL," Rus suggested, tentatively.

"OH YES, ABSOLUTELY TOO SPECIAL!!" Sugar agreed. "I DON'T THINK I WILL EVER HAVE CAUSE TO MAKE IT AGAIN!! YOU MUST ALL BE DISAPPOINTED!!"

"Very," Stretch sighed in relief.

Razz and Edge never let their eyelights leave the other, both of them too well trained and experienced to give that kind of opening. It was only when Undyne got between them bodily did they part. "OK NERDS!! Knock it off! You wanna see who the best guard captain is, well then WE ARE ALL GONNA COMPETE!!" She pumped her fist. "Retired or not I'm not gonna let you punks beat me!!" She cackled, throwing her head back proudly. Razz and Edge scowled at her with equal parts confusion and insult.

After-rus stood up, clapping his hands. "WONDERFUL!! A GUARD CAPTAIN COOKING COMPETITION!! LETS ALL GO TO THE KITCHEN AND MAKE SOMETHING!! THEN THE OTHERS CAN TASTE TEST!!"

Sugar sprung to his feet excitedly. "FINALLY, SOMETHING FUN TO DO WITH BEING A CAPTAIN!!"

Paci and Geno looked ready to protest, but then the two fell-type captains nodded in agreement, fell in line behind After-rus, Sugar, and Undyne (side by side, neither one trusting the other at their back).

Geno groaned. "That stove is brand new..."

"Maybe Undyne won't break it this time?" Paci offered, smile tense with futile hope.

Geno gave him a look that clearly expressed that Undyne was not who he was worried about.

Comic and Dance exchanged looks across the room, grinning. They still remembered the last time they had eaten Edge's cooking.

To continue the game while they waited, Slim partnered up with Vengeance, and Blue partnered up with Paci. Alphys continued on solo. Slim, thinking it was funny, kept flirting with the fish monster, using all the attributes he shared with Edge to rile her up. Vengeance alternated between furiously punching at his head to furiously blushing and ignoring him. Slim, Lust, and Pink shared looks, snickering. Blue picked up right where After-rus left off, goading Paci into reading anything he could find that would remind him that they were all adults here. Paci found it only marginally easer to swallow coming from Blue (especially since Blue doubled down on his sweet and innocent act, which did not help).

The kitchen, while spacious, was not equipped for five (very alpha-type) monsters to utilize at once. To make it easier, they drew straws to see who would go first. Sugar won, so he got first dibs on using the kitchen to make his masterpiece.

Twenty minutes later, Sugar comes bounding down the hall, carting a large pot of spaghetti, grinning brightly. Mixed with the sauce were chunks of meat, which would have been worrisome if Stretch hadn't been certain After-rus would never allow _that_ to happen. As it was, Stretch still made sure he went first (before Chara or his brother), to check.

The meat ended up being bacon, ham, and sausage. And it was delicious.

Axe scarfed it down, looking like he was going to cry all over again.

Chara ate their portion happily, complimenting the now blushing skeleton.

Blue was thoroughly impressed, and started asking Sugar about cooking meat, since his always seemed to end up either burnt or undercooked. Sugar happily started talking about all his trial and error, and how he finally figured out the right temperature to cook certain meat types at for best results. He also figured out that he improved faster by actually tasting his own food (which seemed to blow Pink's and Suave's minds). Gory declined the meal since he was a vegetarian, which Sugar needed explained to him.

Tori took a few plates out to Frisk and Rei in the livingroom, not wanting to leave them out. She came back looking confused and startled and blushing madly.

Next came After-rus and Undyne, who, being used to each other, used the kitchen together. After-rus brought out a simple, yet elegant, tomato-based spaghetti with no meat. Gory happily partook of this, as did everyone else (save Mettaton). Undyne brought out what seemed to be... tea cakes? They might have been, except they were burnt black and crumbled a bit on the edges.

Vengeance raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "This is just embarrassing for both of us," she muttered, after chancing one and regretting it instantly.

Undyne laughed. "Yeah! I am pretty vicious in the kitchen!!"

Axe refused to touch them.

Slim took the rest and ate half, throwing Red the last of them. Red scarfed his down without a word.

It took significantly longer for Razz and Edge to return. Sugar, After-rus, and Undyne had all finished in less than half an hour each, but the fell-verse types passed that mark without a word. After-rus went to check on them, a smile hiding his mild concern. He came back with a relieved, excited grin, clapping his hands together excitedly. When asked, he refused to say anything.

Neither Red nor Slim looked the least bit worried. Slim continued to flirt up Vengeance, and Red continued to read his pilfered literature and indulged Lust in reading cards out loud. Lust finally got him with one card combination, making Red's maxilla dust over in a handsome shade of pink.

It was a whole hour later when the menacing click of heels came down the hall, and the smell of two very different but equally divine scents flooded the room.

Edge came in, holding a dish of lasagna, layered with cheeses and sauces and noodles, with different layers having different seasonings that blended and complimented each other in a way that had half the room salivating from the smell alone. Red swallowed hard, looking up from his book to see Edge set the tray down on the table.

"Oh, ya fuckin' dick shit, that just ain't goddamn fair..." Red growled.

Edge ignored him.

Razz came in holding a platter of burritos in one hand, and chips and salsa in the other. The chips had steam wafting off of them, indicating they were freshly baked and warm, and the salsa glistened in the light, red and luscious, with colorful additions making it even more aesthetically appealing. Slim hummed approvingly, not that he ever would have expected less of his brother.

Razz sat his spread down next to Edge's on the table. The two glared at each other, Edge with irritation that he had even been goaded into this, Razz with smug confidence that his victory was assured.

Axe was between them in seconds, grinning shamelessly at the food. "Allow me to be the _judge_ of this," he purred, guttural and feral and low, like a beast about to shred his helpless prey. Neither monster objected, each waving their hands to indicate he was free to indulge. Axe started with the lasagna. He carefully, almost reverently, cut a square out of it and ate it in one bite, savoring the taste with his eyesockets closed in (blissful) contemplation. He went through a full body shudder, a soft noise of pure happiness squeezing passed his teeth. After giving himself a moment, he picked up a burrito, and took a generous bite. Nearby spectators like Blue and Suave and Gory were given a sneak preview of the inside, stuffed with carefully seasoned meat and vegetables, drizzled in a spicy sauce nobody could really put a name to in the moment. Axe again closed his eyes and meditated on the flavor, before scarfing down the rest of the burrito.

"WELL?!" Both Edge and Razz demanded at the same time, with vastly different intonations.

Axe smirked. "Solid tie. But my biased ass says my bro wins." He winked, before snatching a fresh chip, dipping it in the salsa, and taking his spot back on the couch.

Tori and Gory burst into a giggling fit, which Comic, Dance, and Chara quickly joined. The human stood up, coming over to sample the masterpieces. They, upon eating them, made a noise that had Stretch choking on his beer, maxilla glowing brightly. "Oh. My. God. You guys... I didn't know food could taste this good. Its magical. How do you even do this."

"BUT WHO IS THE VICTOR??" Razz asked, still confident.

"Um. That would be me. Cuz I get to eat your food."

At this point, everyone else comes forward and starts trying the supposedly indescribable creations. Dance slurred something about wanting the chips, to which Suave helpfully made him a plate. The drunken skeleton sat down with the chips and was content, trying the salsa and making a happy noise. When Lust got up to try a burrito, Red stealthily stole some of the lasagna and returned to his seat without being seen (by anyone but Slim).

By this point, everyone had their preferences, but no single monster had a majority vote. The contest was declared a tie (to Razz's displeasure).

* * *

Eventually the CAH game was abandoned, as nearly everyone was either thoroughly inebriated, or tending to someone inebriated. Edge, although he had been drinking continuously, was still only pleasantly buzzed. Dance was wasted, limp and plaint as Suave picked him up.

Red snickered. "Lightweight," he huffed.

Dance snapped his head in Red's direction. "fffffffUCk yOoooUuuu!!!" he slurred out, flipping Red off with both hands as he hung over his brother's shoulder. Red's reaction was to laugh, which clearly wasn't what Dance was aiming for. "I shed fUCk yOu!! An' FuK yurrr atTITudE! Yur nooooo fuckzz given atTITudE!! An'- An'- juzzzz FUck yuuuuuu!!"

Lust smirked. "Hear that, sweetie?" He gripped Red's collar and pulled him closer. "Dance there says we gotta go three rounds tonight~"

Red, finally, turned a vibrant shade of scarlet, sputtering. "Th' fuck?! What th' hell 're ya talkin' about?! Who says that shit with a straight goddamn face?!"

"I thought I proved pretty effectively today that I am _anything_ but straight~" Lust teased. "But if you need another reminder..." 

Red actually ended up blushing harder. "Don't fuckin' touch me, ya slut!" he snapped, pushing Lust back with the flat of his palm on Lust's sternum.

Lust snickered. "Spoilsport~" He teased, before settling down, purring louder as he snuggled back into Red's side and closed his eyes. Red did his best to ignore him (and the emotional echoes he was starting to get whiplash from)

Tori came over to check on Dance. "Are you okay..?" She asked softly, looking up at him as she shifted from foot to foot.

Dance went from uncoordinated rage to serene contentment. "Yer soo great... not an azzhole... an' yer pie'zzzz amazin'..." he mumbled, his eyes drifting shut. "ya put up wit' sooo much n' still don' shtop bein' amazin'.... hey, Pap.... paaaaaaaap!"

"Y-YES, BROTHER?" Suave asked, amusement making his voice waver.

"Pap... Pap... Pap are ya lookin'?? Y-yur lookin' da wrong waaaaay!" Dance whined.

Suave humored his brother by turning around. Dance blinked, his eyelights hazy and a little too large. "Pap. Pap. Look. Looooook do you seeeeee?? Thizzzz Tori an' shes sooooooooo great! Like- like yurrr great but a- a different kinda great...." he yammered on, going through a few wet, breathy spasms that might have been the skeleton equivalent of a hiccough before promptly passing out.

Tori was torn between the highest level of embarrassment, her face (and most of her head and neck and shoulders) burning, and this softer kind of warmth from her SOUL.

"I THINK IT IS TIME WE WENT HOME. SANS IS IN NEED OF A NAP." Suave said softly. "AND A LECTURE."

Rus chuckled, looking down at his own brother. Comic had fallen right to sleep, quietly, still clutching the empty bottle and two cards, a relaxed grin on his face. Rus chuckled. "AND WE HAVE SOME THINGS TO TALK ABOUT AT HOME ALSO!! LIKE THE WHOLE SECRET DAD THING!!"

"SECRET DAD??" After-rus asked, excited. "YOU HAVE A SECRET DAD??"

"APPARENTLY?? I CAME HOME TO GET READY FOR TODAY AND HE WAS THERE??" Rus shrugged. "I AM JUST GLAD MY BROTHER IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL THOSE PESKY SECRETS."

"I. COMPLETELY. UNDERSTAND." After-rus agreed.

"IF WE ARE FINALLY ENDING THIS RIDICULOUS FUCKING GATHERING I DEMAND TO BE RETURNED HOME. RIGHT FUCKING NOW," Edge growled.

"Cool yer jets, boss, only th' lightweights need t' leave," Red huffed.

"WRONG," Razz countered, draining the last of his bottle. "IT IS GETTING LATE. MY MAGNIFICENT SELF HAS MANY NEW RESPONSIBILITIES TO ATTEND TO, ON TOP OF MY MANY OLD ONES. MUTT!!" Razz sapped his fingers. Slim picked him up and set him on his shoulder, smirking.

Edge only shot Red an indignant scowl.

Sugar nodded. "YES YES!! THIS WAS MOST FUN INDEED!! BUT MANY THINGS NEED TO BE DONE AND I AM THE ONE WHO IS CHARGED WITH THE DOING!!"

"Also its kinda a dick move to chow down all day and not bring nothing to our pals," Axe said, already gathering all the leftovers. Chara and Geno started helping, Geno getting a few tupperware boxes and paper bags for the three of them to pack the food away in.

"IF WE ARE INDEED ENDING THIS VERY GENEROUS CELEBRATION," Pink quipped. "MAYBE WE SHOULD EXCHANGE NUMBERS?? THEN WE COULD STAY IN TOUCH??"

Blue's eyes seemed to glow brighter. "THATS A GREAT IDEA!!!" He whipped out his phone, grinning. Rus gasped in delight, pulling his own out. Suave reached for his a bit more calmly, careful no to jostle his brother. Gory grinned delightedly, already at Suave's side with phone in hand.

In minutes, everyone had exchanged numbers except for Edge.

Rus scooted over to him, grinning brightly. "FRIEND!! WHAT IS YOUR PHONE NUMBER??"

Edge scowled. Rus waited patiently. Vengeance watched with anticipation.

Edge finally pulled out his phone. "THIS IS ONLY TO BE USED FOR EMERGENCIES. IF I GET ANY RIDICULOUS PHONE CALLS FOR STUPID FUCKING REASONS I WILL BLOCK YOU SO FAST IT WILL MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN."

"WHAT ABOUT TEXTING??" Rus asked.

Edge paused. "...TEXTNG IS ACCEPTABLE."

Rus bounced excitedly, taking Edge's number. Then he snatched Edge up in a friendship hug. Edge bristled, growling. Rus took the hint and let go, laughing softly.

After a quiet conversation with Razz, Slim offered Rus a ride home. Rus made a point of giving After-rus, Geno, and Paci all big hugs before picking up his brother and taking Slim's offered hand. Slim then took them all home to Undertale.

Chara went and took their brother home, before returning to grab Axe and Sugar. Stretch insisted on coming along, to carry one of the bags. Blue picked one up, put a bag of chips in it, and then handed it to Axe, giving him a pointed look and a hopeful smile, his eyelights shrinking briefly. Axe got the message, nervous sweat sliding down his neck even as Chara took him and his brother back to Horrortale. Stretch followed shortly after.

Gory and Suave shook hands, smiling conspiratorially before Tori took her brother's hand and took them both back to Altertale. Suave chuckled.

Pink looked over at his brother, who was, reluctantly, getting up. He wasn't in any hurry himself, perfectly comfortable to watch the party come to a gentle close.

Red stood to his feet as well, but he pointedly ignored Edge, instead going over to Suave and glaring up at him and the very drunk Dance. Suave looked back at him, confused at first, before seeing Lust's thumbs up from behind Red. A soft grin grazed his face, and he placed a hand on Red's shoulder.

"Don't think this means anythin', hear me? Don't mean a fuckin' thing. Just don't wanna hear shit from that whiny bitch when he wakes up," Red growled. Suave just smiled wider, before Red shortcut them both to Dancetale.

Lust chuckled, stretching his arms over his head before looking to Edge and Vengeance. "So, you guys want that ride I promised you now? While Red isn't looking?"

Edge crossed his arms. "ABOUT FUCKING TIME."

Lust snickered, looking at Pink. "I'll be back in a sec, bro." Pink waved him off as Lust gripped onto the Underfell monsters and took them back.

Stretch came back, blushing a deep orange, and grabbed onto Blue, only giving Blue a few seconds to wave goodbye to After-rus before heading home to Underswap.

Red returned, already in a bad mood because he knew the exact moment Lust had taken Edge back to Underfell. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited, clearly getting more irritated with every passing moment. When Lust returned, Red grabbed him by the collar and yanked him closer. "Th' fuck did I say about you goin' t' that shithole?"

Lust chuckled. "If you didn't want me going, you should have taken your brother home yourself~" He draped his arms over Red's shoulders, hooking his index phalanges together behind his back. "Maybe next time you'll be more reasonable. Now..." He crept closer. "How about I take _you_ home with _me_ and we take Dance's advice, hmmm?"

Red ground his teeth, his expression menacing and irate despite (or perhaps because of) the pinkish glow taking over his maxilla and nasal ridge. Lust just grinned wider. Pink took that moment, to grip onto his brother's shoulder, holding Mettaton with his other hand. Lust then whisked the four of them away, back to Underlust.

After-rus, Geno, and Paci stood in their mostly empty house. Alphys and Undyne offered to walk Frisk home safe, as it had started to get dark. Geno and Paci would have left, in order to avoid helping After-rus clean up, but between Blue's help and Axe cleaning them out of all the food, there wasn't much to do except rearrange the furniture back again.

After-rus sat down on the couch after moving it back, pulling his phone out and looking at his new, colorful list of contacts. He put in all the newest ones into a group messaging chat, and sent them all a single question.

> **Group Chat**  
>  **ME:** SAME TIME NEXT WEEK??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ gotta remember that, even in informal settings, friendly settings, in Fell universes fights break out regularly. there isn't half as much killing intent in these kinds of skirmishes as there are in the real encounters, but still. fighting is integral to their culture, and a natural response to competitive environments. Razz and Edge are letting loose a little and actually starting to get into the swing of things, but that means fights are even more likely to break out.
> 
> ~ i've been waiting to make that spaghetti joke for literal months *throws confetti*
> 
> ~ this is the first time axe has been able to eat his brothers cooking in years, and he's so moved. his bro got so much better, improved so much, made the best of an awful situation to improve himself in little ways, and axe is just really emotional today okay shut up he isnt hangry anymore
> 
> ~ gory is a vegetarian... but he'd like to try sushi ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
>  ~~I'm sorry i know i'm awful~~
> 
> ~ edge knows that his lasagna is one of red's favorites, and red knows edge is still pissed at him and won't let him have any. the only possible bigger dick move would be for edge to make his pizza or his burger-and-fries, which he would only ever make for red anyway because those are both greasy ass messy foods
> 
> ~ axe had his mind made up about who his vote for the winner would be, he just wanted first dibs on the food (like the little shit he is)
> 
> ~ oh stretch where did your mind go right there huh??? naughty~
> 
> ~ and here we see an honest Dance letting loose in a drunken stupor he probably wont remember in the morning
> 
> ~ red saying the same thing he said in chapter 2, with a very different attitude, and meaning it -256%
> 
> ~ Edge is seriously jealous that slim obeys razz so well. he and red still have so many issues but razz and slim just seem to have it all figured out and it pisses him off so. goddamn. much.
> 
> ~ Rus at it again with the friendship victory. i dont think anybody else was gonna snag Edge's digits
> 
> ~ hint: stretch didnt _really_ want to carry any bags
> 
> ~ pffft red you'll take dance home but not your own brother???
> 
> ~ damn lust you are really thirsty
> 
>  **AND THAT IS THE END FRIENDS!!!**  
>  Well. Its the end of this story. But you never know. I might wanna write about what happens after this story. But this story is OVER and I FINISHED IT!!!
> 
> Its the lamest story ever with a lame anticlimactic ending but you know what fuck it I FINISHED THIS SON OF A BITCH

**Author's Note:**

> [FIND ME ON TUMBLR](https://kamari333.tumblr.com) if you want
> 
> Also [Check It out! An Ask-Blog for the Multiverse of this fic!! Ask them dumb shit!!](https://resonance-chatroom.tumblr.com)


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